Are you looking for a dietary supplement to improve your eyesight?

Nature's Life Lutein i-care is intended to provide nutritive support to help protect the retina and macula from oxidative damage caused by ultraviolet and blue light. Vitamin A and zinc are antioxidants essential to vision.

SUPPLEMENT FACTS

* Daily Value (DV) Not Established.

Lutein I care™ Antioxidant

... Antioxidant Macular Support* with Beta Carotene, Zinc & Copper

Highlights

• Helps protect the retina, macula & lens from oxidative and free-radical damage*

• Helps safeguard against blue and ultraviolet (UV) light damage to the macula and retina*

• Especially important for people with light-colored irises (pupils), and people who smoke*

• Promotes production of super oxide dismutase (SOD), which protects the eye from free-radical damage*

Eye Health & Free Radicals

Proper nutritional support for the retina and lens is critical to maintaining healthy eyes. Several factors such as smoking, diabetes, injury, supplemental steroids, excess exposure to pollution, sunlight or radiation can all damage parts of the eye. Most of these factors create free radicals that can damage the delicate structures of the eye and result in poor eyesight. Phytonutrients and antioxidants from food and supplements can protect our eyes from these damaging free radicals by neutralizing, or “scavenging” them.*1

Lutein I care Benefits

Carotenes: There is much interest in carotenoids as protective factors for maintaining good eye health. Lutein and zeaxanthin are specific carotenoids that are concentrated in the yellow pigment in the macula and appear to specifically protect the macula.*2 Like beta carotene, the more well-known carotenoid, lutein and zeaxanthin are also potent antioxidants.

A large multicenter human study looked at the relationship between lutein and zeaxanthin, among other nutrients, and protection of the macula. The researchers found that people eating 5.8 mg per day of lutein and zeaxanthin from dietary sources are much more likely to have healthy, undamaged macula.*2 That’s almost 3 cups (1 ounce) of fresh, chopped spinach every day. In the Nurses’ Health Study, involving over 100,000 nurses, significant protection for the lens of the eye was also evident from eating spinach. The researchers suggested that lutein may be the protective carotenoid in spinach.*3

Another study determined that people supplementing with the equivalent of 30 mg per day of lutein raised lutein levels, or density, of the macular pigment.*4 Nature’s Life Lutein i care™ Antioxidant supplement also contains natural beta carotene, alpha carotene and cryptoxanthin in addition to lutein and zeaxanthin. Foods high in carotenoids have also been linked to maintenance of unclouded, transparent lenses.*5 Researchers report that people who eat a diet high in these carotenoids have healthier retinas and maculas.*2,6

Minerals: Zinc activates two critical enzymes, retinol dehydrogenase and catalase.7 Retinol dehydrogenase converts vitamin A to the more active form used in visual purple. Seeing well in dim light requires adequate amounts of visual purple. The inability of people with liver damage to see well at night has been linked to abnormal zinc metabolism.7 The enzyme catalase is an antioxidant enzyme that also protects the eye from oxidative damage.*7

Both of the essential minerals zinc and copper are crucial for general eye function and to produce the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD).*8 Zinc’s ability to activate this key antioxidant enzyme may play a critical role in protecting the macula and the lens from oxidative damage resulting from sunlight.*

Ingredient Highlights

Nature’s Life uses only FloraGLO brand lutein from Kemin® Foods in Lutein i care™ Antioxidant. FloraGLO Lutein is a bright yellow-orange pigment naturally extracted, purified and crystallized from marigold petals (Tagetes erecta) providing standardized amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin. Vitamin E, rosemary and citric acid add natural protection for the delicate carotenoids to ensure maximum potency. In foods lutein and zeaxanthin are found abundantly in spinach, kale, broccoli and other green leafy vegetables, as well as papaya and mango.

Nature's Life uses only natural marine source carotenes derived from the unique microalgae, Dunaliella salina. Unlike synthetic all trans-beta-carotene, natural beta-carotene is a mixture of cis and trans forms. Standardized D. salina from Henkel® contains cis- and trans-beta-carotene in a concentrated 50%/50% mixture.

Zinc gluconate and copper gluconate are readily absorbed and used by the body. Studies of elderly populations have found that few people get enough zinc in their diets (7-10 mg daily is typical). Elderly low-income people are at real risk of consuming less than 50% of the RDI for zinc.9 While severe zinc deficiency is rare in the U.S., marginal deficiencies are increasingly common. Fiber in food hampers zinc absorption.9 Taking copper promotes the synthesis of super oxide dismutase (SOD).10 Oral SOD supplements are very poorly absorbed, and SOD supplements are not recommended.11

References

1. Florence TM. The role of free radicals in disease. Aust N Z J Ophthalmol 1995;23:3-7.

2. Seddon JM, Ajani UA, Sperduto RD,et al. Dietary carotenoids, vitamin A, C, and E, and advanced age-related macular degeneration. JAMA 1994;272:1413-20.

3. Hankinson SE, Stampfer MJ, Seddon JM, et al. Nutrient intake and cataract in women: A prospective study. BMJ 1992;305(6849):335-9.

4. Landrum JT, Bone RA, Joa H, et al. A one year study of the macular pigment: The effect of 140 days of a lutein supplement. Exp Eye Res 1997;65:57-62.

5. Knekt P, Heliovaara M, Rissanen A, et al. Serum antioxidant vitamins and risk of cataract. BMJ 1992;305:1392-4.

6. Goldberg J, Flowerdew G, Smith E, et al. Factors associated with age-related macular degeneration. Am J Epidemiol 1988;128:700-10.

7. Anonymous. Zinc chelators and the eye. Nutr Rev 1982;40:218-20 [review].

8. Fridovich I. Oxygen : Aspects of its toxicity and elements of defense. Curr Eye Res 1984;3:1-2.

9. Greger JL. Mineral bioavailability/new concepts. Nutr Today 1987;22(4):4-9.

10. Harris ED. Copper as a cofactor and regulator of copper, zinc superoxide dismutase. J Nutr 1992;122:636-40.

11. Regnault C, Soursac M, Roch-Arveiller M, et al. Pharmacokinetics of superoxide dismutase in rats after oral administration. Biopharm Drug Dispos 1996;17:165-74.

How do we see?

Sight begins as light passes through the cornea to the lens, focusing light onto the retina at the back of the eye (especially the macula and the fovea, which is at the very center of the retina). The retina’s nerve receptors are stimulated by light and send impulses to the brain where they are converted into mental images. Nutrition plays a critical role in all aspects of vision — including the ability to focus and to see at night, and the defense of delicate tissues of the lens and retina against oxidative damage.*

Poor Vision Explained

Poor vision is a serious problem which many people face as they age. Annual medical costs for eye care in America exceed 3 billion dollars in Medicare funds alone. Eighteen percent of Americans over age 65 and forty-six percent over age 75 have been found to have clouded lenses which obscure their vision.1,2 Approximately twenty-five percent of Americans over age 65 experience damage to their retinas which reduces their ability to see clearly.3 Several lifestyle factors such as smoking, diabetes, injury, steroids, excess exposure to smoke, air pollution, sunlight or radiation, and simply growing older can damage cells in the eye. That’s because most of these factors create dangerous free radicals, which can result in poor eyesight. Free radicals in the eye are tiny particles created by light that react with other substances in the eye, causing damage.

Maintaining a Healthy Eye

The ability to see is a tremendous gift, and it all depends on a delicate balance of exquisitely designed parts. One of the keys to maintaining a healthy eye lies in proper nutritional support for the retina and the lens. Specific nutrients are required for each part to work properly. Nature’s Life offers two comprehensive formulas to provide these essential vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients to help protect our eyes from damaging free radicals by neutralizing, or “scavenging” them.*

Bilberry i sight™ Antioxidant Formula to help protect the lens of the eye.*

Lutein i care™ Antioxidant Formula to help protect the retina of the eye.*

People with low blood levels of antioxidants or who eat limited amounts of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables are more likely to lose the transparency found in healthy lenses.4,5 Two research groups found that people with healthy maculae were more likely to have high blood levels of antioxidants.6,7

The Role of Beta Carotene

Beta carotene, often called the “safer” form of vitamin A, is a powerful antioxidant nutrient. In the Nurse’s Health Study, published in 1992, foods high in beta carotene were linked to the maintenance of transparent lenses.*8 People in this study who supplemented with extra beta carotene for over ten years were much more likely to have healthy lenses.*6 Low blood levels of beta carotene were clearly associated with a higher risk for developing clouded lenses.*6

Antioxidant protection from light-induced damage may be an important part of beta carotene’s function in protecting the macula.* Researchers report that people who eat a diet high in beta carotene and other carotenoids have less damage to their macula.*9 This protective effect has also been reported for total carotenoids including alpha carotene, cryptoxanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin.*7

Lutein & Zeaxanthin

Lutein and zeaxanthin are carotenoids (like beta carotene) found abundantly in spinach, kale, broccoli, green leafy vegetables, papayas and mangos.10 They are not easily converted to vitamin A (like beta carotene) but they do have potent antioxidant activity.* These carotenoids concentrate in the yellow pigment in the retina and appear to specifically protect the macula and fovea against oxidative damage.*7 Researchers have discovered two important facts about these carotenoids:

1. The body works hard to concentrate lutein and zeaxanthin in the macula and fovea of the retina.11

2. Lutein and zeaxanthin provide potent antioxidant protection against singlet oxygen free radicals which damage the macula and fovea.*11

A multicenter Eye Disease Case-Control Study looked at the relationship between lutein, zeaxanthin and protection of the macula. People eating a total of 5.8 mg per day of lutein and zeaxanthin from dietary sources are much more likely to have healthy, undamaged macula.*7 That’s the equivalent of about 3 cups of chopped fresh spinach every day!

Vitamins

In two studies, people with healthy, clear, transparent lenses were more likely to be taking vitamin C and vitamin E supplements than were people with clouded lenses.*8,12,13 Researchers found that people who supplemented with at least 300 mg of vitamin C enjoyed a 50-70% decrease in the risk for clouding of the lens.*12 Both studies found these associations with supplements, not just from vitamin-C rich foods.

A Canadian study tested 152 people with clear lenses and 152 people with clouded lenses and found that those taking vitamin E supplements had 56% less risk of clouded lenses.*12 This study showed that the more vitamin E taken the greater the level of lens protection.* This “dose/response relationship” is considered to be powerful scientific evidence. Vitamin E also helps maintain levels of the important antioxidant glutathione.*14 While the association between high intake of vitamin E supplements and lens clarity has recently been confirmed,15 supplements of only 50 IU per day of vitamin E have not been found to be effective.*16

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) is generally not thought of as an antioxidant, but the antioxidant glutathione needs enough vitamin B2 so it can be reactivated as glutathione reductase (an important antioxidant enzyme).* When levels of glutathione reductase fall, the lens loses its transparency.*17

In China, people with healthy lenses were given daily doses of 3 mg of B2 and 40 mg of B3 (Niacin) or a placebo and followed for years. At the end of the study, those taking the B vitamins were much more likely to have maintained normal lens clarity and transparency.*18

Visionary Minerals

In terms of eye health, the main function of zinc is to activate two critical enzymes, retinol dehydrogenase and catalase,19 which are used to mobilize stored vitamin A from the liver and convert it, thus allowing “seeing” to occur.* Insufficient zinc reduces blood levels of vitamin A, which can impair vision.* The inability of people with liver damage to see well at night has been linked to zinc deficiency.* Copper is needed to activate superoxide dismutase (SOD), a major antioxidant enzyme found in the lens.*20

Herbal Antioxidants

The fruit of Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) contains unique blue/violet bioflavonoids called anthocyanosides. These phytonutrients offer potent antioxidant protection against free-radical damage.* Bioflavonoids also reduce the activity of aldose reductase,*21 as aldose reductase allows the lens (and retina) to accumulate unhealthy levels of naturally occurring sugars which can cause damage to the retina.*22

In a study of 116 people, both night vision and the ability to see after exposure to glare were maintained after taking 300 mg/day of standardized bilberry extract.*23 These effects were reported in healthy people, suggesting that constituents of bilberry play a functional role in promoting good vision,* though the mechanism is not yet understood. Standardized bilberry extracts have also been reported to protect the lens from losing its transparency.*24 This protection probably comes from the antioxidant activity of anthocyanosides guarding against free-radical damage to the lens.*

Protecting the eye: the big picture

Old age may be inevitable but vision loss may not be. Eat lots of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, avoid smoking, overexposure to pollution, sunlight and radiation, and take Nature’s Life Lutein i care™ and Bilberry i sight™ to maintain healthy, clear eyes.*

Nature’s Life® BILBERRY i sight™ Provides antioxidant vitamins and phytonutrients to protect the lens of the eye against the damaging effects of light-induced free radicals:*

Nature’s Life® LUTEIN i care™ Provides antioxidant vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients to protect the retina of the eye, especially the macula, against the damaging effects of light-induced singlet oxygen free radicals.*

References

1. Leske MC, Sperduto RD. The epidemiology of senile cataracts: A review. Am J Epidemiol 1983;118:152-65.

2. Kahn HA, Liebowitz HM, Ganley JP. The Framingham eye study; outline and major prevalence. Am J Epidemiol 1977;106:17-32.

3. Seddon JM, Hennekens CH. Vitamins, minerals, and macular degeneration. Arch Ophthalmol 1994;112:176-9.

4. Jacques PF, Chylack, Jr LT. Epidemiologic evidence of a role for the antioxidant vitamins and carotenoids in cataract prevention. Am J Clin Nutr 1991;53:352S-5S.

5. Knekt P, Heliovaara M, Rissanen A, et al. Serum antioxidant vitamins and risk of cataract. BMJ 1992;305:1392-4.

6. West S, Vitale S, Hallfrisch J. Are antioxidants or supplements protective for age-related macular degeneration? Arch Ophthalmol 1994;112:222-7.

7. Seddon JM, Ajani UA, Sperduto RD, et al. Dietary carotenoids, vitamin A, C, and E, and advanced age-related macular degeneration. JAMA 1994;272:1413-20.

8. Hankinson SE, Stampfer MJ, Seddon JM, et al. Nutrient intake and cataract in women: A prospective study. BMJ 1992;305:335-9.

9. Goldberg J, Flowerdew G, Smith E, et al. Factors associated with age-related macular degeneration. Am J Epidemiol 1988;128:700-10.

10. Micozzi MS, Beecher GR, Taylor PR, et al. Carotenoid analyses of selected raw and cooked foods associated with a lower risk for cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst 1990;821:282-5.

11. Handelman GJ, Dratz EA, Reay CC, van Kuijk FJ. Carotenoids in the human macula and whole retina. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 1988;29:850- 5.

12. Robertson JM, Donner AP, Trevithick JR. A possible role for vitamins C and E in cataract prevention. Am J Clin Nutr 1991;53:346S-51S.

13. Jacques PF, Taylor A, Hankinson SE, et al. Long-term vitamin C supplement use and prevalence of early age-related lens opacities. Am J Clin Nutr 1997;66:911-16.

14. Costagliola C, Iuliano G, Menzione M, et al. Effect of vitamin E on glutathione content in red blood cells, aqueous humor and lens of humans and other species. Exp Eye Res 1986;43:905-14.

15. Leske MC, Chylack LT Jr, He Q, et al. Antioxidant vitamins and nuclear opacities. The Longitudinal Study of Cataract. Ophthalmology 1998;105:831-36.

16. Teikari JM, Rautalahti M, Haukka J, et al. Incidence of cataract operations in Finnish male smokers unaffected by alpha tocopherol or beta carotene supplements. J Epidemiol Community Health 1998;52:468-72.

17. Horwitz J, Dovrat A, Straatsma BR, et al. Glutathione reductase in human lens epithelium: FAD-induced in vitro activation. Curr Eye Res 1987;6:1249-56.

18. Sperduto RD, Hu TS, Milton RC, et al. The Linxian cataract studies. Two nutrition intervention trials. Arch Ophthalmol 1993;111:1246-53.

19. Anonymous. Zinc chelators and the eye. Nutr Rev 1982;40:218-20 [review].

20. Harris ED. Copper as a cofactor and regulator of copper, zinc superoxide dismutase. J Nutr 1992;122:636-40.

21. Linuma M, Tanaka T, Mizuno M, et al. Structure-activity correlation of flavonoids for inhibition of bovine lens aldose reductase. Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo) 1989;37:1813-5.

22. Trevithick JR, Creighton MO, Ross WM, et al. Modelling cortical cataractogenisis:2. In vitro effects on the lens of agents preventing glucose- and sorbitol-induced cataracts. Can J Ophthalmol 1981;16:32-8.

23. Terrasse J, Moinade S. Premiers resultats obtenus avec un nouveau facteur vitaminique P “les anthocyanosides” extraits du Vaccinium myrtillus. Presse Med 1964;72:397-400.

24. Bravetti G. Preventive medical treatment of senile cataract with vitamin E and anthocyanosides: clinical evaluation. Ann Ottamol Clin Ocul 1989;115:109.