{"ok":true,"entry":{"slug":"lutein","kind":"supplement","name":"lutein","aliases":["marigold extract","Lutemax"],"brands_sg":["California Gold Nutrition","Doctor's Best","Nutricost","NOW Foods","Sports Research"],"class":"carotenoid","tags":["general"],"use_for":"raises macular pigment; areds2 saw no extra amd benefit","use_after":"daily","use_duration":"pooled mpod trials ran 3–12 months","take_with":null,"pros":["swapping beta-carotene for it cut late amd 20% at 10y","5 to <20 mg a day raised macular pigment in pooled rcts","lowest-intake group saw 26% lower advanced-amd risk"],"cons":["adding it to the areds mix gave no extra benefit","under 5 mg a day showed no measurable change","cognition: pooled effect was not significant"],"dose_note":"areds2 used 10 mg lutein with 2 mg zeaxanthin; pooled trials in healthy eyes saw no measurable change in macular pigment below 5 mg a day, 0.04 units at 5 to under 20 mg and 0.11 units at 20 mg or more over 3–12 months — those are pigment readings, not vision outcomes","dosage":{"ul":null,"unit":"mg","fda_dv":null,"rda_ai":null,"ul_status":"none_established","population":"general adult","hsa_max_daily":null},"ul_status":"none_established","sg_class":null,"cautions":["no upper limit is set for carotenoids — no limit is not clearance","the areds trials enrolled people already diagnosed with amd or at high risk, under trial conditions","not listed in hsa's annex a/b — hsa says that list is not exhaustive"],"clashes":[],"sources":[{"id":"ods_carotenoids_areds2","url":"https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/","label":"NIH ODS — Vitamin A and Carotenoids (Health Professional): AREDS2 result","quote":"However, this follow-up study showed that adding lutein (10 mg) and zeaxanthin (2 mg) or omega-3 fatty acids to the formulation produced no additional benefits.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"ods_carotenoids_replace","url":"https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/","label":"NIH ODS — Vitamin A and Carotenoids: 10-year AREDS2 follow-up","quote":"After 10 years, participants who had taken the AREDS2 supplement with lutein and zeaxanthin had an additional 20% reduced risk of progression to late AMD compared with those who took the supplement containing beta-carotene.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"ods_carotenoids_lowintake","url":"https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/","label":"NIH ODS — Vitamin A and Carotenoids: low dietary intake subgroup","quote":"participants with the lowest dietary intakes of lutein and zeaxanthin had a 26% lower risk of advanced AMD when they took a supplement containing these two carotenoids than those who did not take a supplement with these carotenoids","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"ods_carotenoids_amd","url":"https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/","label":"NIH ODS — Vitamin A and Carotenoids: lutein and zeaxanthin in the retina","quote":"Lutein and zeaxanthin (which are not precursors of vitamin A), in particular, accumulate in the retina, the tissue in the eye that is damaged by AMD.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"ods_carotenoids_aredspop","url":"https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/","label":"NIH ODS — Vitamin A and Carotenoids: who the AREDS trial enrolled","quote":"participants with a high risk of developing advanced AMD (i.e., those who had intermediate AMD or who had advanced AMD in one eye)","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"ods_carotenoids_notvita","url":"https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/","label":"NIH ODS — Vitamin A and Carotenoids: non-provitamin A carotenoids","quote":"Other carotenoids in food, such as lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, are not converted into vitamin A and are referred to as non-provitamin A carotenoids","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"ods_carotenoids_ul","url":"https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/","label":"NIH ODS — Vitamin A and Carotenoids: no UL for carotenoids","quote":"The FNB has not established ULs for beta-carotene and other provitamin A carotenoids","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"wilson2021","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC8634499","label":"The Effect of Lutein/Zeaxanthin Intake on Human Macular Pigment Optical Density: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (Wilson et al., Adv Nutr 2021; 46 studies, n=3,189)","quote":"The pooled mean increase in MPOD was 0.04 units … among studies evaluating 5 to <20 mg/d of lutein/zeaxanthin and was 0.11 units … among studies evaluating ≥20 mg/d of lutein/zeaxanthin for 3-12 mo","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"wilson2021_low","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC8634499","label":"Wilson et al., Adv Nutr 2021 — doses under 5 mg/d","quote":"There was no statistically significant change in MPOD among studies evaluating <5 mg/d of total lutein/zeaxanthin intake","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"li2021","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC8510423","label":"Dietary Lutein and Cognitive Function in Adults: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials (Li & Abdel-Aal, Molecules 2021)","quote":"Dietary lutein was associated with slight improvements in cognitive performance in complex attention …, executive function … and memory …, but its effect was not significant.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"hsa_pr_notlisted","url":"https://file.go.gov.sg/hsa-chp-prohibited-restricted-ing-guidelines.pdf","label":"HSA — Guidelines on Prohibited and Restricted Ingredients in Health Supplements and Traditional Medicines, GL-CHPB-1-012 Rev 001 (Oct 2025), Annex A/B — searched, no row for this ingredient","quote":"The objective of this guideline is to highlight the substances of concern when used in HS and TM and is not meant to be an exhaustive list.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"iherb_sg","url":"https://sg.iherb.com/c/lutein","label":"iHerb Singapore — Lutein category (default order, 1 - 48 of 109 results)","quote":"California Gold Nutrition, Lutein with Zeaxanthin from Marigold Extract, 60 Veggie Softgels … Doctor's Best, Lutein, Lutemax 2020, 20 mg … Nutricost, Zeaxanthin with Lutein … NOW Foods, Lutein & Zeaxanthin … Sports Research, Lutein + Zeaxanthin","accessed":"2026-08-27"}],"brand_certs":[{"brand":"Sports Research","example":null,"programme":"NSF Certified for Sport","matching_products":0,"brand_total_certified":2}],"updated_at":"2026-08-30T17:59:38.376296+08:00"},"disclaimer":"kozen-x is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. it lists what published sources have written down. absence of a record is not the same as safe."}