Wellness Foods - August 2008 - (Page 13)

Eye Health Since the carotenoids act as colorants, their use so far occurs mostly in bars and colored beverages. Coca Cola Co.’s Glaceau touts its Focus Vitaminwater flavor, with vitamin A (and ginkgo biloba), as helping to maintain eye health. Minneapolis-based Ardea Beverage Co. (www.nutrisoda.com), maker of functional carbonated beverages, is about to launch its newest flavor, Vision, a kiwi-clementine-flavored beverage with lutein and zeaxanthine. San Joaquin Valley Concentrates (www.activin. com), Fresno, Calif., offers ActiVin brand of oligomeric proanthocyanidin (OPC), a polyphenolic bioflavanoid derived from grape seeds. OPCs are powerful antioxidants that were studied for their protective effect against cancer and heart disease but which also have shown to be powerfully protective against cataracts. Kemin Health LC (www.kemin.com), Des Moines, Iowa, provides Floraglo, its highly purified lutein for food and beverage applications derived from marigold flowers. Eggs from chickens fed with such marigold extracts as feed fortification provide a good source of bioavailable lutein. A number of other ingredient companies have been providing commercial forms of naturally derived or synthetic (although nature-identical) lutein. Perhaps the most significant recent news in eye health is the effect carotenoids have on younger people. “The results of a recent University of Georgia study conducted on healthy young adults aged 17-41 and published in Optometry and Vision Science, showed supplementation with a combination of 10mg lutein and 2mg of zeaxanthin over six months increased macular pigment optical density (MPOD) as early as 60 days following supplementation and throughout the study period,” says Richard Roberts, principal manager of scientific affairs and technical services for Kemin. Roberts adds that the increase in MPOD “correlated with a reduction in glare disability and photostress recovery time.” This means persons supplementing with lutein and zeaxanthin could discriminate between objects more readily under glaring-light situations while simultaneously exhibiting more rapid recovery following exposure to bright light sources, such as sunlight or bright headlights. “Although similar effects have been shown in early-stage AMD patients and people with cataracts, this study is the first to show these effects in younger, healthy subjects,” Roberts says. “Given the importance accuracy of vision plays, especially while driving during a bright day or at night exposed to bright headlight glare, these data continue to support the health benefits of lutein and zeaxanthin in our daily diet throughout everyone’s lifetime.” New ingredients for eye health Only recently a form of zeaxanthin called mesozeaxanthin has been identified in close association with lutein and zeaxanthin in the eye. The compound appears to be rare in nature and is thought to be produced in the eye by conversion of lutein. It shows significant promise as a new eye health ingredient, but more research is needed and it currently only is included in supplements. Astaxanthin could prove one of the up and coming ingredients for eye health. It’s a potent antioxidant, recognized to be about 500 times more effective than vitamin E and much more powerful than other carotenoids such as lutein, lycopene and beta-carotene. “There is substantial evidence astaxanthin may help keep vision sharper and keep eyes healthier when they are exposed to the damaging UV rays in everyday sunshine,” says Efrat Kat, marketing manager for Algatechnologies Ltd. (www.algatech.com), Hevel Eilot, Israel. Astaxanthin seems to target eye tissues particularly well. “Any compound functioning in the eye must be able to cross not only the blood-brain barrier but also the blood-retinal barrier to gain access into the eye,” explains Kat. “Among all antioxidants – and specifically carotenoids – astaxanthin appears to easily penetrate these two barriers, thanks to its low molecular weight and its specific chemical structure.” Kat cites a double-blind study in Japan wherein, after four weeks of supplementation with a daily dose of 5mg astaxanthin, researchers reported a 46 percent reduction in the number of subjects complaining of eyestrain. “Researchers also found positive effects at 4mg astaxanthin per day in relieving eye fatigue,” adds Kat. Algatechnologies supplies AstaPure natural astaxanthin. The compound is derived from Haematococcus pluvialis microalgae. The microalgae, when exposed to high-intensity light, produce astaxanthin as a protective agent. Algatechnologies uses a patented, closed and environmentally protected cultivation system, which allows the production of a pure astaxanthin product free of any biological or chemical contamination. Nutrisoda Vision includes lutein for eye health. More on the Web There’s an additional section of this article, focusing on macroingredients from berries, in the web-based version of this story. Believe it or not, typing “eye health” into the search bar at www.FoodProcessing.com will net you 134 results, including 99 articles, three products and one news story. Do all your web-surfing at www. FoodProcessing.com. Food Processing’s Wellness Foods™ www.wellnessfoodsonline.com August 2008 | 13 http://www.nutrisoda.com http://www.activin.com http://www.activin.com http://www.kemin.com http://www.algatech.com http://www.FoodProcessing.com http://www.FoodProcessing.com http://www.FoodProcessing.com http://www.wellnessfoodsonline.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Wellness Foods - August 2008

Wellness Foods - August 2008 Balance for Boomers Vitamins for Eye Health Nutraceutical Spirits New Views on Fiber

Wellness Foods - August 2008

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