Health Supplement Zeaxanthin - Benefits To Your Eyes So You Can See A Clearer Future

In today's world of over-medication and prescription drugs, health conscious consumers have turned, almost en masse, to homeopathic medicine. Herbs, flowers and plants have been used successfully, to treat all manner of illness and disease over the years. With the advent of science and doctors though, the old ways were relegated to superstitions and witchcraft. Today though, they are making a giant comeback in the form of nutritional supplements. Zeaxanthin Benefits The Eyes Zeaxanthin is a powerful carotenoid that protects the retina from light damage. The retina is the pigmented part of the eye, which is where all the vision receptors are. The human eye requires carotenoids to absorb blue light, which is helpful in things like reading small print. The retina though, only absorbs two carotenoids, and zeaxanthin is one of them. Aside from being an antioxidant, which helps with all kinds of other issues, zeaxanthin has been linked to the prevention of age-related macular degeneration, the highest cause of blindness in the elderly. Studies on Zeaxanthin Benefits In November of 2002, research was performed at Schepens Eye Research Institute and Department of Ophthalmology in Harvard Medical School, which showed zeaxanthin is essential to the protection of the retina from light damage. Using quail as a model, the researchers provided the first evidence linking the dietary supplement to retinal protection. In 2003, the Medical Research Council Environmental Epidemiology Unit in the University of Southampton, UK, did a human study and found that zeaxanthin was far more protective than its brother carotenoid and was concentrated in the part of the eye that needs the most protection. Though far less available through a normal diet, the eye selectively places it where it will be the most use. Do Side Effects Cancel Zeaxanthin Benefits? Absolutely not! There have been no reports of any toxic side effects due to the ingestion of zeaxanthin. Even in larger than the recommended dosage, the supplement has not been linked to any adverse effects. Though eating a large amount of carotenoid producing food has been linked to changes in skin and nail colour, zeaxanthin has not been proven, or even rumoured, to produce the same effect. In all, and with all things considered, the zeaxanthin benefits to the eyes are worth whatever price is put upon it. For anyone with bad eyes, especially, it is a great supplement to take in the hopes that it can help prevent further degeneration. Light is necessary to life, but it can also be damaging to the eyes; why not go the extra step to protect them? Further information can be found here