National Institute of Public Health NIH - National Research Institute, Department of Radiation Hygiene and Radiobiology, Chocimska Street 24, 00-791 Warsaw, Poland.
Rocz Panstw Zakl Hig. 2023;74(3):257-264. doi: 10.32394/rpzh.2023.0266.
Lutein and zeaxanthin are naturally occurring xanthophylls, mainly present in green, leafy vegetables and egg's yolk. Their presence is connected with blue spectrum light absorbance, including UV. This property, and fact, that these xanthophylls are accumulated by human eye's macula, leads to eye's protective functions of them including protection from age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Also, antioxidative features of lutein and zeaxanthin are boosting overall health of human body. Numerous studies proves anti-inflammatory and protective attributes of these compounds, based on many, different mechanisms. One of them is regulating redox potential in cells, and impact on expression of linked genes. In preventing of eye diseases, an important gene that is regulated by lutein and zeaxanthin is the Nrf2 gene, whose increased activity leads to optimizing the cellular response to reactive oxygen species (ROS) and preventing related diseases. Other research confirms antiproliferative properties of mentioned compounds in case of certain human cancer cell lines. There are e.g.: HepG2 (hepatitis cancer), MCF-7 (breast cancer), which treated in vitro with lutein solution showed reduction of cell growth. Lutein alone, during in vivo studies conducted on mice, exhibited also radioprotective properties, positively affecting the vitality of animals. Lutein provides also increasing of tolerance to UV radiation, reducing inflammatory processes in the skin and preventing oncogenesis. Low intake of lutein and zeaxanthin, associated with "western diet", rich in simple carbohydrates and processed food, common in developed countries, including Poland, is linked with diabetes and obesity incidence. Assuming, lutein and zeaxanthin significantly affect the well-being of the human body, and their appropriate amount in diet can help reduce risk of many diseases. For supplementation, the optimized dosage of these xanthophylls includes doses of 10 mg for lutein and 2 mg for zeaxanthin, and it is recommended to consume along with fats or meals rich in fats.
叶黄素和玉米黄质是天然存在的叶黄素，主要存在于绿色多叶蔬菜和蛋黄中。它们的存在与对包括紫外线在内的蓝光光谱的吸收有关。叶黄素和玉米黄质被人眼黄斑累积的这一特性，导致了它们对眼睛的保护作用，包括预防年龄相关性黄斑变性（AMD）。此外，叶黄素和玉米黄质的抗氧化特性也增强了人体的整体健康。许多研究证明了这些化合物的抗炎和保护特性，这些特性基于许多不同的机制。其中之一是调节细胞中的氧化还原电位，并影响相关基因的表达。在预防眼部疾病方面，一种重要的受叶黄素和玉米黄质调节的基因是 Nrf2 基因，其活性增加可优化细胞对活性氧（ROS）的反应，预防相关疾病。其他研究证实了上述化合物在某些人类癌细胞系中的抗增殖特性。例如：HepG2（肝癌）、MCF-7（乳腺癌），用叶黄素溶液在体外处理这些细胞系，显示出细胞生长减少。在对小鼠进行的体内研究中，单独的叶黄素也表现出放射保护特性，对动物的活力产生积极影响。叶黄素还提供了对紫外线辐射的耐受性增加，减少皮肤炎症过程，并预防肿瘤发生。在包括波兰在内的发达国家，富含简单碳水化合物和加工食品的“西方饮食”中，叶黄素和玉米黄质的低摄入量与糖尿病和肥胖症的发病率有关。假设叶黄素和玉米黄质对人体健康有显著影响，饮食中适量摄入这些类胡萝卜素有助于降低许多疾病的风险。为了补充，这些类胡萝卜素的最佳剂量包括 10 毫克叶黄素和 2 毫克玉米黄质，建议与富含脂肪的食物或餐食一起食用。
