Kemin urges adding lutein and zeaxanthin for eye health to standard-of-care prenatal vitamins

Pregnant mothers and infants’ eye health improved through prenatal supplementation with FloraGlo Lutein and Optisharp Natural Zeaxanthin by Kemin. This has been shown in a new “statistically significant and clinically important” study conducted in the US.

“From the infants’ perspective, the bioavailability of lutein and zeaxanthin could potentially provide an early start for their lifelong physiological and protective roles for the developing retina and infant vision,” says Dr. Emmanuel Kofi Addo of the John A. Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah and one of the study’s authors.

“The clinical relevance of differences in foveal (cones in the eye) maturity observed in our study lies in the potential long-term benefits for visual and cognitive development. Enhanced foveal maturity may improve infant visual acuity and contrast sensitivity,” he details.

“A well-developed fovea is essential for sharp central vision and is critical for recognizing faces as children grow.”

Study findings

The study was published in Ophthalmology Science, an official journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. It was designed to explore whether lutein and zeaxanthin should be added to standard-of-care prenatal vitamins for expecting mothers.

The National Institutes of Health’s National Eye Institute funded the clinical trial. 

The researchers provided 10 mg FloraGlo Lutein and 2 mg Optisharp Natural Zeaxanthin to healthy pregnant women throughout their whole pregnancy. They found increases in maternal and infant systemic and ocular carotenoid levels.

This demonstrates that prenatal supplementation is safe and effective in improving mothers’ and infants’ eye health.

Prenatal supplementation is safe and effective in improving mothers’ and infants’ eye health.Brenda Fonseca, global technical services lead at Kemin Human Nutrition & Health, comments: “The significant findings of improved carotenoid status in both mom and baby, as well as the improvement in the infant’s eye development, provide compelling evidence that lutein and zeaxanthin should become standard-of-care for all pregnant women.”

“Most prenatal supplements and infant formulas currently lack lutein and zeaxanthin, but this research highlights their crucial role and potential long-lasting benefits on maternal and infant health.”

Standard-of-care

A growing body of evidence supports the essential role lutein and zeaxanthin play in eye and brain health. 

Insufficient intake of these compounds can be exacerbated by the low consumption of fruits and vegetables in the standard modern diet — a primary source of carotenoids.

Addo adds: “Our study prospectively showed that prenatal carotenoid supplementation considerably enhanced maternal and infant carotenoid status.”

“Since our bodies do not produce these molecules, it is crucial for maternal intake of lutein and zeaxanthin as this is the only source infants receive.”

Last year, a study commissioned by the Council for Responsible Nutrition and conducted at Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy, US, found that the daily supplementation with lutein and zeaxanthin among adults may facilitate annual net savings of over US$100 million.