Efficacy of Commercially Available Nutritional Supplements: Analysis of Serum Uptake, Macular Pigment Optical Density and Visual Functional Response

• Published in: Nutrients Vol. 12; no. 5; p. 1321
• Main Authors: Bone, Richard A, Davey, Pinakin Gunvant, Roman, Betzabe O, Evans, David W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI 06-05-2020; MDPI AG
• Subjects: Adult; Age Factors; Carotenoids - administration & dosage; Carotenoids - analysis; Carotenoids - pharmacology; Dietary Supplements; Female; Humans; Lumega-Z; lutein; Lutein - administration & dosage; Lutein - blood; Lutein - pharmacology; Macular Pigment - metabolism; macular pigment optical density; Male; meso-zeaxanthin; Middle Aged; PreserVision; Recommended Dietary Allowances; Time Factors; Vision, Ocular - drug effects; Vision, Ocular - physiology; Visual Acuity - drug effects; Visual Acuity - physiology; Young Adult; zeaxanthin; Zeaxanthins - administration & dosage; Zeaxanthins - blood; Zeaxanthins - pharmacology; macular pigment optical density; Lumega-Z; PreserVision; meso-zeaxanthin; lutein; contrast sensitivity; zeaxanthin
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu12051321

To compare the change in serum carotenoids, macular pigment optical density (MPOD) and visual function with the intake of two commercially available nutritional supplements.
Participants were given a 24-week supply of a lipid-based micronized liquid medical food, Lumega-Z™ (LM), containing 28 mg of the macular carotenoids lutein (L), zeaxanthin (Z) and
-zeaxanthin (MZ), or given PreserVision™ AREDS 2 Formula (gel-caps; PV) containing 12 mg of the macular carotenoids L and Z, but no reported MZ. Serum levels of L, Z and MZ were obtained at baseline and after 12 weeks. Macular pigment optical densities (MPOD) and visual function were assessed at baseline and after 24 weeks.
Average blood serum concentrations of L, Z and MZ in the two groups at baseline were similar. The increases in L, Z and MZ were 0.434, 0.063 and 0.086 mol/L vs. 0.100, 0.043 and 0.001 mol/L, respectively, in the LM vs. PV group. From baseline to week 24, average MPOD in the LM-group increased by 0.064 from 0.418 to 0.482, whereas in the PV-group, it was essentially unchanged (0.461 to 0.459;). Although log-contrast sensitivity was improved in all groups under three conditions (photopic, mesopic and mesopic with glare), the change in log-contrast sensitivity was not statistically significant
Despite only a 2.3-fold higher carotenoid concentration than PV, LM supplementation provides approximately 3-4-fold higher absorption, which leads to a significant elevation of MPOD levels.