Archive for the ‘eye health’ Category

By absorbing blue light, carotenoids protect delicate photo-receptor cells in the retina’s macula from light damage. The density of your macular pigment (composed of lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso-zeaxanthin) is essential to proper vision. Unfortunately, this density declines naturally over time. Some aging people also lose their ability to convert lutein into meso-zeaxanthin inside their macula.

Eating lots of lutein and zeaxanthin containing vegetables can help maintain the structural integrity of their macula. But meso-zeaxanthin is not part of the typical diet, it cannot be replaced except in supplement form.

If you’re one of more than 72 million people in America who use a computer daily at work, you’re probably familiar with eye fatigue.

Life Extension has come up with a supplement that targets eyestrain and protects visual acuity. Check it out at www.lef.org

By Lorraine Heller, 12-Jul-2010

In the first part of a special series, NutraIngredients takes a look at the market for eye health: What the market drivers are, which ingredients lead the way, and where future potential lies.

Market need

The dietary supplement and functional food market for eye health is being driven by several major forces: an aging population, unhealthy diets, an increased demand for natural ingredients and rising healthcare costs.

Eye conditions tend to be linked to age, environment, tobacco abuse and diet. The most common conditions affecting the global population are age-related macular-degeneration (AMD), cataracts and xerophthalmia, the latter of which is caused by a deficiency of vitamin A, and which is a common cause of childhood blindness.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 269m people suffer from vision impairment – excluding blindness – around the world. Age-related conditions in people over 50 account for an estimated 82 per cent of cases, with macular degeneration accounting for 7 per cent. According to a study published in the Indian Journal of Medical Sciences in 2007, the incidence of eye disease has been found to compound in humans at a mean age of 43.9.

The rest of the story:

http://www.nutraingredients.com/Industry/Unravelling-the-market-for-eye-health/?utm_source=Newsletter_Product&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%2BProduct