Lutein & Zeaxanthin

Compounds that participate in redox balance or influence cellular stress-response pathways. Food patterns matter more than isolated antioxidant megadoses.

Page last reviewed: 2026-07-23 - next review due: 2027-01-23

Source Coverage

Included: US reference

Review gap: Canadian reference

Add or verify Health Canada context where an official Canadian reference exists.

Review gap: EU reference

Add or verify EFSA or EU health-claim context where an official EU reference exists.

Included: Clinical / safety source

Function

Carotenoids concentrated in the macula of the eye, where they filter blue light and support retinal antioxidant defenses.

Natural Sources

Kale, spinach, collards, turnip greens, corn, egg yolks, pistachios.

Food vs Supplement Context

Natural sources describe where this item appears in foods, culinary ingredients, or traditional preparations. Concentrated supplements can differ by dose, extract type, preparation, standardization, and medication context, so they should be evaluated separately.

Testing & Monitoring Context

No routine lab test establishes a required daily need for most foods and bioactives; monitoring is usually based on the intended outcome, dose, medical history, and adverse effects.

Suggested Guidelines When Purchasing

What to look for: Prefer a product identity that matches the studied ingredient or ordinary food source described on this page.

Use caution or avoid: Avoid products that hide dose, source, standardization, allergens, or safety-relevant ingredients.

Prefer ordinary food sources first when they provide the intended compound in a practical way.
For supplements, require clear labeling of active ingredient, dose per serving, serving size, and other ingredients.
Prefer products with third-party testing or transparent contaminant testing, especially for concentrated extracts, algae, mushrooms, minerals, and sports products.
Do not let marketing claims override the evidence, safety flags, source coverage, or dose context on this page.

Intake Guidance

No official DRI

No official RDA, AI, or RDI has been established for this bioactive as a required daily intake.

Evidence Summary

Macular health supplement context

Established use

NEI summarizes AREDS2 as supporting lutein and zeaxanthin within the AREDS2 formula context, especially as a beta-carotene replacement in people with smoking history.

Dose context: AREDS2 formula context is not the same as a general-population RDI.

Caution: Eye disease, smoking history, and AREDS-style formulas should be discussed with an eye-care professional.

Studies/sources: AREDS/AREDS2 Clinical Trials (2026-07-26)

Evidence Legend

Established use: Supported by official guidance, regulatory claim context, strong consensus, or repeated human evidence for a specific use.

Promising: Human studies or reviews suggest benefit for specific outcomes, but evidence is not broad enough to treat as settled general guidance.

Emerging: Early human, mechanistic, or mixed evidence; worth tracking, but not strong enough for confident user-facing claims.

Traditional use: Historically or traditionally used, but modern clinical evidence may be limited, mixed, or product-specific.

Category example: Included to describe a supplement or food category, not because a strong health claim is attached yet.

Research Links

Use this as a research discovery link. Search results are live and may change, so curated sources on this page remain the fixed references for app content.