Issue Date: May 5, 2002
The little antioxidant with big benefits
Here's why lutein has jumped to the top of must-eat lists.
Most adults eat about 1 milligram of lutein a day. Experts recommend at least 4-6mg of that powerful disease fighter. Each serving of this soup (recipe below) supplies 7mg.
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Why are spinach, kale and other greens so good for you? One reason: They are packed with the antioxidant lutein, a yellow pigment (the yellow is covered up by chlorophyll in green leaves) with newly discovered powers to fight disease.
"We all used to talk about beta carotene [the orange pigment in carrots] in preventing disease. It's now lutein," says Frederick Khachik, Ph.D., senior researcher at the University of Maryland. "Lutein is just as important to health, or more so, than beta carotene."
Evidence is impressive and growing
Saves eyes. Lutein is most often hailed as a possible way to protect eyes from macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness in older people. A landmark Dutch study of men showed that taking 10 milligrams of lutein daily for three months increased thickness in the eye's center (macula) by 22%, presumably reducing its vulnerability to damage and loss of vision. Researchers at Harvard found eating 6mg of lutein a day (roughly 1/4 cup cooked spinach) lowered the odds of macular degeneration by 43%. Remarkably, eating sautéed spinach four to seven times a week for three months even reversed some very early signs of the disease, according to a small study by Stuart Richer, Ph.D., at the DVA Medical Center in North Chicago, Ill.
Loading up on lutein also seems to reduce the odds of cataracts by 20% to 50%, according to several studies.
Discourages cancer. A recent study by Tufts University and Korean investigators revealed a dramatic 88% drop in breast cancer in women who had the highest blood concentrations of lutein.
Researchers at the University of Utah Medical School found that the highest consumers of lutein (a mere 2.4mg daily) were 17% less likely to develop colon cancer than those who ate the least (300 micrograms). Generally, the more lutein consumed, the lower the risk. High lutein also has been linked to fewer lung, prostate and ovarian cancers.
In animals, lutein even slowed the growth of breast tumors. In test tubes, it killed cancer cells.
Researchers speculate that lutein switches off carcinogenic activity and boosts immune functioning.
Prevents clogged arteries. A University of Southern California professor, James H. Dwyer, compared the carotid (neck) arteries of middle-aged people. In 18 months, people with the lowest blood lutein had four times the carotid thickening of people with the highest levels. (Thickening is a sign of blood-vessel clogging throughout the body.) Probable reason: Cells bathed in lutein were less likely to help "bad" LDL cholesterol stick to artery walls.
Delays lung aging. People who eat the most lutein have "younger" lungs, according to new research at the State University of New York at Buffalo. In fact, high lutein shaved one to two years off lung age as indicated by standard lung function tests in 1,616 men and women, ages 35 to 79. (High vitamin E intake also boosted breathing capacity.) Lutein seems especially important for smokers.
Combats arthritis. Lutein may even help block osteoarthritis pain and disability in 16 million Americans. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health recently discovered that people with the highest blood lutein were about 70% less likely to have arthritis of the knee.
| Get your lutein here | |
| Best food sources | Per 1/2 cup |
| Kale, cooked | 10mg |
| Collard greens, cooked | 7.7mg |
| Spinach, raw | 3.3mg |
| cooked | 6.3mg |
| Broccoli, raw | 1mg |
| cooked | 1.7mg |
| Brussels sprouts, cooked | 1.7mg |
| Corn, cooked | 1.2mg |
| (FYI: Egg yolks have tiny amounts of lutein -- about 0.2mg per yolk -- because chickens eat corn.) |
| Source: Calculated from USDA figures |
Supplements
Lutein also is available in pills.
Tips
Lutein is fat-soluble, so you need a little fat to absorb it. Lutein and another antioxidant, zeaxanthin, often are found in the same foods and work together to maximize antioxidant activity.
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Recipe: Bean Soup With Kale
Each serving supplies 7mg of lutein, a healthy dose for the day.
1 Tb. olive oil or canola oil
8 large garlic cloves, crushed or minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cups chopped raw kale (or 10 ounces frozen chopped kale, thawed and squeezed to remove water)
4 cups low-fat, low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 15-ounce cans white beans, such as cannellini or navy, undrained (about 3 cups)
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 tsps. dried Italian herb seasoning (or 1 tsp. each dried thyme and rosemary)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chopped parsley
In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add garlic and onion; sauté until soft. Add kale and sauté, stirring, until wilted. Add 3 cups of broth, 2 cups of beans, and all of the tomato, herbs, salt and pepper. Simmer 5 minutes. In a blender or food processor, mix the remaining beans and broth until smooth. Stir into soup to thicken. Simmer 15 minutes. Ladle into bowls; sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Serves: 8.
Nutrition: 133 calories, 10g protein, 2.4g fat (0.3g saturated), 6g fiber, 23g carbohydrates, 283mg sodium.
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SOURCES FOR THIS ARTICLE
Amount of Lutein in Foods
-- USDA-NCC Carotenoid Database for USA Foods, 1998
Saves Aging Eyes
-- Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, 2000; 41:3322Ÿ3326
-- Seddon, Johanna M. JAMA, 1994: 272: 1413-1420
-- Journal of the American Optometric Association, 1999 , 70:24-36
-- Gale CR. Ophthalmology 108: 1992-98, 2001
-- Brown L. Am J Clin Nutr 70:517-524, 1999
Discourages Cancer
-- Kyung-Jin Yeum. J Nutr 128:1920-1926, 1998
-- Slattery ML. Am J Clin Nutr 2000 Feb; 71(2): 575-82
-- Prostate: Lu QY, Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2001 Jul: 10(7): 749-56).
-- Ovarian: Bidoli E. Ann Oncol 2001 Nov; 12(11): 1589-93)
-- Lung: Ziegler R. Am J Epidemiol 145 (supll.):S79, 1997)
-- Breast: Park JS, Journal of Nutrition, 1998; 128:1650-1656
-- Sumantran, V.N., et al. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 9(3): 257-63
Prevents Clogged Arteries
-- Dwyer JH. Circulation 2001 Jun 19;103(24): 2922-7
Delays Lung Aging
-- Schunemann HJ, et al. Am J Epidemiol 2002 Mar 1:155(5): 463-71
Combats Arthritis
-- De Roos AJ. Public Health Nutr 2001 Oct; 4(5): 935-42
Photo by BRIAN LEATART for USA WEEKEND
Contributing Editor Jean Carper is an authority on food as medicine. To contact her and visit her Web site for more info: www.jeancarper.com.
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