what is lutein? Where is it from?
Lutein，alias lutein, is a carotenoid, chemical formula C40H56O2, widely present in vegetables, fruits, flowers and other plants, its chemical formula contains two ketone rings, is the main pigment present in the macular area of the retina of the human eye.
Mammals such as humans cannot synthesize lutein on their own, and foreign foods are the only source of lutein intake. The content of lutein in corn is also very high, accounting for 60% of the total carotene in corn.
Lutein comes from a wide range of food sources, often co-existing with zeaxanthin in nature, and is the main component of plant pigments such as corn, vegetables, fruits and flowers. Lutein exists more in papaya, pumpkin, peach and other orange-yellow fruits and vegetables, but the richest content of the ingredients is in green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, leek, celery leaves, coriander and so on.
some information about lutein
Taste: Lutein has a faint, hay-like taste
Stability: The stability of lutein is poor, mainly susceptible to oxygen, light, heat, metal ions, pH and other factors.
Safety: Lutein is safe, non-toxic and harmless, coupled with its special physiological effects, in line with the development direction of food，additives "natural", "nutrition" and "multi-functional", and can be directly added to food with vitamins, lysine and other commonly used food additives. Lutein is an important natural pigment and natural health product, and is a green health food raw material.
Lutein content in common food
marigold
Content: 18740
broccoli
Content: 3507.2
Mandarin orange
Content: 121.0
Kiwifruit
Content: 49.0
What does lutein do to your body?
1. Protect Eyesight
Lutein has an important protective effect on the macula in the retina, and it is easy to cause macular degeneration and blurred vision when it is lacking. Then there are symptoms such as vision deterioration and myopia. Lutein is a natural antioxidant that can effectively prevent the formation of free radicals and avoid the damage of free radicals to vision. In addition, lutein can absorb a large amount of blue light that is destructive to the eyes, avoiding the oxidative damage of the light to the glasses.
2. Antioxidant Effect
The oxidative effect of lutein can inhibit the activity of reactive oxygen species and prevent the damage of reactive oxygen species to normal cells, thereby protecting the body from damage and Improving immunity.
3. Reduce The Incidence Of Cataracts
Adequate intake of lutein can effectively reduce the visual density of the lens, thereby reducing the incidence of cataracts.
4. Delay Arteriosclerosis
Low lutein content in the blood can easily cause arterial wall thickening. With the gradual increase of lutein content, the trend of arterial wall thickening decreases, and arterial embolism also decreases significantly. At the same time, lutein in arterial wall cells can also reduce the oxidation of LDL cholesterol.
5. Anti-Cancer Effect
Lutein has an inhibitory effect on a variety of cancers, such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, rectal cancer, skin cancer, and so on. Intake of higher content of lutein can not only inhibit tumor cancer and even play a role in preventing tumor occurrence.
6. Natural Colouring Matter
Lutein is an important natural colorant, mainly found in marigold flowers, zeaxanthin, calendula, spinach, broccoli, pumpkin, mango, peaches, etc. Its appearance is yellow-orange. It can be used not only for papermaking, printing, and dyeing but also for food coloring. It can also be added to poultry feed to make the egg yolk yellow.
How to supplement lutein？
1. Eat more green leafy vegetables
Lutein is mainly found in green leafy vegetables, the greener the leaves, the higher the content of lutein, such as broccoli, green broccoli, spinach, asparagus, green lettuce, etc., are rich in lutein. As well, carrots, yellow corn, egg yolks, in addition to fruits such as kiwi, blueberries, etc., are a good choice.
2. Take lutein supplements
Lutein is now purified and made into tablets or oral liquid products on the market, and ingestion in this way is more direct.