Data published in the British Journal of Nutrition indicated that 10 weeks of the low-calorie diet (LCD) plus 20 mg per day of lutein led to greater decreases in body fat compared to low calorie diet alone.
In addition, the lutein supplemented group displayed a preservation of their free fat mass (also known as lean body mass), while this decreased in the placebo group.
And only the lutein group experienced statistically significant improvements in total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels, reported researchers from the Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in Iran.
“The major conclusion was that lutein can be considered as an adjuvant to an LCD in a weight loss programme for the obese older adults who not only are at high risk of age-related macular degeneration but also are prone to sarcopenia and metabolic disorders,” they wrote.
Lutein benefits
The study adds to an ever-growing body of science supporting the benefits of the carotenoid lutein, which is most associated with eye health. The link between lutein and eye health was first reported in 1994 by Dr Johanna Seddon and her co-workers at Harvard University, who found a link between the intake of carotenoid-rich food, particularly dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, and a significant reduction in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) (JAMA, Vol. 272, pp. 1413-1420).
In recent years, numerous studies with data from primates, children, middle-aged people, and the elderly also support the importance of lutein in brain health, which is unsurprising given that the eyes and the brain are connected.