The two pigments found in fruits and vegetables that help us in being sharp and intelligent
According to the latest research, lutein and zeaxanthin, two pigments commonly found in fruits, eggs and vegetables, especially spinach, kale and turnips, can play an important role in boosting cognitive skills.
When thereis a strong presence of these pigments in the diet, they accumulate in thecentral retina, and function as a filter against the damaging blue componentsof light. The exposure to natural and artificial light, as well as themetabolic processes, produce free radicals. The free radicals damage cellsthrough a process called oxidation. Their benefit against light-inducedoxidative damage like cataracts for instance is well-documented andestablished. Women who consume more lutein experience less vision problems likeblurriness, glare, and even cataracts.
Emergingresearch shows a connection between the concentration of lutein and cognitiveperformance in adults and children. A study conducted in 2013 discovered thecorrelation between the concentration of lutein in the retina, with itspresence in the brain [1]. The region of the brain where lutein accumulates isresponsible for speech, vision, control cognition and hearing.
A study reportedin the International Journal of Nutritional Neuroscience measured the level oflutein in the eyes of 49 school-age children. The ones with high level oflutein reported higher academic performances than those with a lower luteinconcentration [2-4].
Anotherstudy conducted by the University of Georgia showed that adding lutein andzeaxanthin improved cognitive function in older women and men. The researchersrandomly assigned 62 adults over age 60 into two groups. The first took alutein and zeaxanthin supplement, and the control group took a placebo.Participants completed a number of cognitive tests to determine their brainfunction and repeated same number of tests every four months. After one year of supplementation with luteinand zeaxanthin, participants showed improved complex attention, executivefunction and mental flexibility.
Thesestudies conducted on children and adults are not conclusive, and don't intendto prove that the level of lutein is the cause of the cognitive performance.However, there is an indication that lutein may play an important role incognition, and further studies will be required. In any case, for most people,increasing green vegetables in the diet can only be a good thing!
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1. Vishwanathan R, Neuringer M, SnodderlyDM, et al. (2013) Macular lutein and zeaxanthin are related to brain lutein andzeaxanthin in primates. Nutr Neurosci 16, 21 -29.
2. Barnett, S.M.; Khan,N.A.; Walk, A.M.; Raine, L.B.; Moulton, C.; Cohen, N.J.; Kramer, A.F.; Hammond,B.R.;Renzi-Hammond, L.; Hillman,C.H. Macular pigment optical density is positively associated with academicperformance amongpreadolescent children. Nutr. Neurosci. 2017, 8305, 1 -9. [CrossRef] [PubMed]3. Walk, A.M.; Khan, N.A.;Barnett, S.M.; Raine, L.B.; Kramer, A.F.; Cohen, N.J.; Moulton, C.J.;Renzi-Hammond, L.M.; Hammond, B.R.; Hillman, C.H. From neuro-pigments to neuralefficiency:The relationship betweenretinal carotenoids and behavioral and neuroelectric indices of cognitivecontrol inchildhood. Int. J. Psychophysiol.2017, 118, 1 -8. [CrossRef] [PubMed]4. Hassevoort, K.M.;Khazoum, S.E.; Walker, J.A.; Barnett, S.M.; Raine, L.B.; Hammond, B.R.;
