Lutein | Zeaxanthin

What is Lutein?

Lutein is an orange-red xanthophyll, a carotenoid, produced by plants. This fat-soluble antioxidant is mainly present in fruits and vegetables. It is one of the most abundant pigments in the body and concentrates mainly in the macula (yellow spot in the eyes).

The name lutein comes from "luteus," which is Latin for yellow.

What is Zeaxanthin?

Zeaxanthin is almost identical to lutein. They are each other's isomers. Isomers are molecules with the same molecular formula (C₄₀H₅₆O₂), but a (slightly) different arrangement of the atoms in the molecule. A different structural formula. Zeaxanthin has more double bonds than lutein.

Another difference is that zeaxanthin is much less abundant in our diet and nature. Zeaxanthin is found only in very small amounts in fruits and vegetables. Lutein in much larger quantities.

What contains lutein?

In our diet, lutein is mainly found in dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale, broccoli, corn and carrots. Egg yolks are also a rich source of highly absorbable lutein and zeaxanthin. Fruits such as kiwi, grapes and oranges also contain lutein, but in much lesser amounts.

And Zeaxanthin?

The highest concentration of zeaxanthin is found in bell bell pepper, corn saffron and goji. But its dosage is much lower than the amount of lutein in other foods.

Marigold (Tagetes erecta)

But by far the richest source of lutein (and zeaxanthin) is the bright orange marigold.

Lutein in supplements, therefore, almost always comes from marigold extract. Zeaxanthin often does too, but there are also supplements with paprika extract as a source of the zeaxanthin.

How do Lutein and Zeaxanthin work?

They are fat-soluble substances, carotenoids, which are absorbed best when taken at the same time as high-fat meals. It is best to use quite a bit of olive oil for this purpose, as olive oil itself is also very healthy.

Once absorbed, lutein and zeaxanthin diffuse through the body, after which they concentrate mainly in eyes, skin, brain and breast and fat tissue.

In them, they are incorporated into cell membranes (because they are mainly composed of fats) and lipoproteins.

No vitamin A action

Some other carotenoids such as beta-carotene can be converted into vitamin A in the body. Lutein and zeaxanthin are not. They are "built into" the cells unchanged.

How much Lutein per day is good?

There are very many supplements with widely varying dosages, but it is best to choose one that contains about 20 mg of lutein and 4 mg of zeaxanthin.

Two products in our range that meet this requirement are those from Healthy Origins and Jarrow Formulas.

Lutemax® 2020 and FloraGLO®

The best known patented extracts are Lutemax® 2020 and FloraGLO®. Lutemax® 2020 is the better extract of these two in that it contains four times more zeaxanthin than FloraGLO®.

When you choose patented extracts like this one, you can be sure that the supplement contains at least the specified amount of lutein and zeaxanthin. The high production quality guarantees that there is no degeneration of the fragile substances.

Related Categories:

• Carotenoids
• Astaxanthin
• Bilberry
• Fish oil
• Zinc
• Eyes

Written by: Wouter Olthof
Reviewed by: Peter Smeets

Updated: December 15, 2022