January 17, 2019 - Macular Degeneration
Hey folks, it’s Dr. Sam. In other Vlogs I’ve talked about the importance of getting lutein and zeaxanthin. These are carotenoids that have been shown to play an instrumental role in preventing eye disease like macular degeneration.
Today I want to introduce you to a third carotenoid, called astaxanthin. This is a marine carotenoid, so we find it in foods like wild-caught salmon, algae, and lobster.
I’m going to put you to a paper that was published in 2011 in Marine Drugs. In this paper, researchers examined both animal and human studies, and they concluded that there was substantial evidence that astaxanthin may help protect against cardiovascular disease, reduce oxidative stress, and reducing inflammation in the body.
Other studies have looked at astaxanthin’s ability to protect the retina from oxidative stress, and as we might expect, it plays a very important role.
So my takeaway is to make sure to get plenty of astaxanthin in your dietary protocol, along with lutein and zeaxanthin. Not only will this protect your macula, but these are essential nutrients for protecting the entire body from oxidative stress.
So that’s my message for today. Thank you so much for tuning in. Until next time take good care.