Lutein can reduce negative effects of blue light exposure

New Clinical Study reveals the protective effects of Lutein and Zeaxanthin supplementation reduces the negative effects of blue light exposure.

More and more, Americans have been spending increasing time on their phones and in front of screens. Although seemingly benign, the artificial light emanating from these devices, in particular blue light, perturbs our circadian rhythms, particularly at night. Seminal work done by Charles Czeisler in the early 80s at Harvard Medical School demonstrated that humans have a natural diurnal cycle approximately 24 hours in length. Retinal blue light, exposure causes melatonin suppression and leads to decreased fatigue. Chronic blue light exposure has also been linked to various diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.

Although the best solution is to decrease screen time, particularly at night, sometimes demanding work schedules or circumstances make it impossible to avoid all the time. A recent study conducted by the Nutritional neuroscience Laboratory at University of Georgia revealed that Lutein along with Zeaxanthin can actually act prophylactically to reduce the negative effects of blue light¹. Lutein is a naturally occurring carotenoid that plays a pivotal role in eye health and helps maintain good vision. Not surprisingly, in Stringham and colleagues’ 6-month placebo-controlled supplementation trial that was double-blinded and randomized with 48 young adult subjects, they found that oral administration of Lutein with Zeaxanthin caused a decrease in blue light-mediated eye strain, fatigue, and sleep quality disruption, even with screen time exposure of at least 6 hours daily. The findings of this study demonstrates that Lutein supplementation can help us reduce eye strain and protect our overall sleep cycle from the negative impact of blue light exposure.

This is just another added benefit of Lutein supplementation. In addition to these beneficial effects, Lutein also helps stave off age-related macular degeneration and lower risk of cataracts. Furthermore, Lutein supplementation can improve overall vision acuity and eye performance. Taken together, Lutein offers a multitude of health benefits!

¹Stringham, J. M., Stringham N. T., O’Brien K. J., Macular Carotenoid Supplementation Improves Visual Performance, Sleep Quality, and Adverse Physical Symptoms in Those with High Screen Time Exposure, Foods 2017, 6(7), 47, doi.10.33990

Photo by Matthew Henry from Burst