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Non-medicinal ingredients: Extra virgin olive oil. Softgel: water, caramel, gelatin, glycerin.
Ingrédients Non-médicinaux: huile d'olive extra vierge. Capsule: eau, caramel, gélatine, glycérine.
AOR guarantees that no ingredients not listed on the label have been added to the product. Contains no wheat, gluten, corn, nuts, dairy, soy, eggs, fish or shellfish.
Suggested Use
Take two softgels per day with food, or as directed by a qualified health care practitioner.
Main Applications
Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
Eye Health
Cataracts
Eye Fatigue
Source
Multi-Sourced
Pregnancy / Nursing
No Stuides, best to avoid
Cautions
None Known
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
| Our vision - its immeasurable value is matched only by our propensity to take it for granted. This is the kind of double-standard that is at the root of all things that are impossible to appreciate until they are gone. The World Health Organization has some sobering statistics for us: every legally blind individual requires two able-bodied ones to look after him or her; macular degeneration (MD), by far the leading root cause of blindness in North America, affects the majority of us in some form or another as we age. Its more dire manifestation of Advanced Macular Degeneration (AMD) can indeed lead to blindness, and in only 10% of those instances can vision be saved. Other threats to vision (ocular) health include cataract formation, asthenopia (eye fatigue) and glycation. |
One would be hard-pressed to find a more appropriate application for the old adage "an ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure" than in preventative vision health. Indeed, the simplicity of such nutrients as manganese, grape seed, and vitamin C are in sharp contrast to their contributions to ocular health. However, if an ounce of prevention is indeed worth a ton of cure, then how much cure is a pound of prevention worth? Of course it is always possible to have simply too much of a good thing, but this can be avoided through the discovery (and application) of a different kind of good thing. Pertaining to our vision, this can be interpreted as looking far beyond ordinary vitamins and minerals.
Astaxanthin: This maritime carotenoid has distinguished itself in recent years in a number of roles, one of which is asthenopia. This increasingly common condition is often caused by overexposure to visual display terminals (VDT's), and human studies have shown that astaxanthin can alleviate asthenopia symptoms (such as eye strain, redness, and blurred vision) by 54%. Scientists believe the mechanism of action for these benefits is based on the increased ciliary body accommodation, increased retinal blood flow, and anti-inflammatory properties associated with astaxanthin supplementation. The ciliary body is composed primarily of an ocular muscle that stretches across the vitrous humour between the lens and the pupil. Accomodation refers to the ability of the ciliary body to manipulate the thickness of the lens in order to focus light on the retina. If the eye is required to focus on a fixed object for extended periods of time, muscle spasms and other signs of fatigue may occur. Factors such as the speed at which the ciliary body reacts to a change in visual focus are used to evaluate improvements (if any) in the accommodation response. Two clinical studies conducted in 2005 determined that the speed of the ciliary body's reactions in the astaxanthin group were approximately 46% faster than those in the placebo group. This means that those taking astaxanthin were able to spot moving objects that much faster than those who were not. Furthermore, another placebo-controlled clinical study determined that astaxanthin can increase retinal blood flow by approximately 11% while yet another study (with laboratory rats) found that astaxanthin can reduce ciliary cell inflammation by nearly 80%.
Black Soybean Hull Extract: Asthenopia can arguably be considered part of the information age since it is so closely associated with overexposure to visual display terminals (VDTs). Nowhere is this reality more acute than in Japan, home of the most automated economy in the world. It seems fitting, therefore, that so many of the latest clinical studies dealing with Asthenopia originate there. The aforementioned astaxanthin clinical studies are one example, and those concerning black soybean hull extract are another. One such study in 2004 demonstrated black soybean hull extract ‘significantly' improved the symptoms of Asthenopia among 32 healthy adults who regularly engage in VDT work. Black soybean hull extract is another example of ‘pushing the envelope' to develop the most advanced ocular health nutraceuticals possible.
Benfotiamine: Very simply put, glycation is the bonding of sugar molecules to proteins or lipids in the body without the mediating action of an enzyme or coenzyme, and is a natural part of the aging process. The end result is the formation of Advanced Glycation Endproducts (AGEs) - stiff tissue that can affect any cell in the body. The cells of the retina are particularly vulnerable, because when blood sugar levels rise, some key cells high in metabolic activity (such as the retina cells and the filtering cells [glomeruli] of the kidney) are flooded with glucose. Thiamin pyrophosphate (TPP) is the active coenzyme form of thiamin, and maintaining high TPP levels will cause an enzymatic reaction that alleviates the effects of this glucose backlog, thus inhibiting the formation of AGEs. Benfotiamine is a lipid-soluble version of thiamin that is at least 5 times more bioavailable than regular thiamin supplements, and is the most efficient method known for effectively raising TPP levels.
Lutein and Zeaxanthin: This ‘dynamic duo' of ocular health is by no means new. In nature, these are pigments that give vegetables such as corn and spinach their color, but in the human body, these are fat-soluble carotenoids (structurally similar to vitamin A) that are found primarily in the retina. This fact has always served to define their antioxidant capacities specifically within the realm of ocular health, with clinical and observational studies demonstrating their effectiveness in dealing with the symptoms of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and cataract formation. AMD refers to the age-related deterioration of the central part of the retina (namely the macula), which is adjacent to the optic nerve and contains the fovea, which is at the center of the macula and is responsible for detailed central vision. Like glycation, AMD is a normal part of the aging process and can vary greatly in degrees of severity. Prevention is key of course, and the latest clinical studies using lutein and zeaxanthin have taken an unmistakable trend: the dosages have been increasing and more emphasis has been made on absorption. Indeed, one very encouraging study used 30 mg daily of both lutein and zeaxanthin (in a base of canola oil) to raise macular pigment optical density(OD) in healthy human subjects by as much as 40% in a dose-dependent manner.
References
Sakimoto T, et al. Clinical study with black soybean extract on ocular function. Japanese Review of Clinical Ophthalmology. V.98;N.11;Pg.982-986(2004).
Nagaki Y, et al. (2002) Effects of Astaxanthin on accommodation, critical flicker fusions, and pattern evoked potential in visual display terminal workers. J. Trad. Med., 19(5): 170-173.
Bone RA, et al. Lutein and zeaxanthin dietary supplements raise macular pigment density and serum concentrations of these carotenoids in humans. J Nutr. 2003 Apr;133(4):992-8. Erratum in: J Nutr. 2003 Jun;133(6):1953.
Clinical study with black soybean extract on ocular function
Sakimoto T, et al. Japanese Review of Clinical Ophthalmology. V.98;N.11;Pg.982-986(2004).
Abstract: The effect and safety of extract of black soybeans hull on several ocular functions in 32 healthy adults with asthenopia who engages in visual display terminals (VDT) work were investigated by single open study given orally for 4 weeks. The improvement was obtained significantly in sight, accommodation, flicker frequency and subjective symptoms at Week 4. No adverse reactions and worse cases in this study were observed, so that the safety of this extract was confirmed.
Effects of Astaxanthin on accommodation, critical flicker fusions, and pattern evoked potential in visual display terminal workers.
Nagaki Y, et al. (2002). J. Trad. Med., 19(5): 170-173.
We evaluated the effects of astaxanthin, a red carotenoid, on accommodation, critical flicker fusion(CFF), and pattern visual evoked potential(PVEP) in visual display terminal(VDT) workers. As controls, 13 non-VDT workers received no supplementation (Group A). Twenty-six VDT workers were randomized into 2 groups: Group B consisted of 13 subjects who received oral astaxanthin, 5mg/day, for 4 weeks, and Group C consisted of 13 subjects who received an oral placebo, 5mg/day, for 4 weeks. No significant difference in age was noted among the 3 groups. A double-masked study was designed in Groups B and C. Accommodation amplitude in Group A was 3.7.+-.1.5 diopters. Accommodation amplitudes (2.3.+-.1.4 and 2.2.+-.1.0 diopters) in Groups B and C before supplementation were significantly (p<0.05) lower than in Group A. Accommodation amplitude (2.8.+-.1.6 diopters) in Group B after astaxanthin treatment was significantly (p<0.01) larger than before supplementation, while accommodation amplitude (2.3.+-.1.1 diopters) in Group C after placebo supplementation was unchanged. The CFFs and amplitude and latency of P100 in PVEP in Group A were 45.0.+-.4.2Hz, 6.5+/=1.8.MU.V, and 101.3.+-.6.5msec, respectively. The CFFs in Groups B and C before supplementation were significantly (p<0.05) lower than in Group A. The CCFs in Groups B and C did not change after supplementation. Amplitudes and latencies of P100 in PVEP in Groups B and C before supplementation were similar to those in Group A and did not change after supplementation. Findings of the present study indicated that accommodation amplitude improved after astaxanthin supplementation in VDT workers.
Lutein and zeaxanthin dietary supplements raise macular pigment density and serum concentrations of these carotenoids in humans
Bone RA, et al. J Nutr. 2003 Apr;133(4):992-8. Erratum in: J Nutr. 2003 Jun;133(6):1953.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is thought to be the result of a lifetime of oxidative insult that results in photoreceptor death within the macula. Increased risk of AMD may result from low levels of lutein and zeaxanthin (macular pigment) in the diet, serum or retina, and excessive exposure to blue light. Through its light-screening capacity and antioxidant activity, macular pigment may reduce photooxidation in the central retina. Lutein supplements, at 30 mg/d, were shown previously to increase serum lutein and macular pigment density in two subjects. In this study, we compared the effects of a range of lutein doses (2.4- 30 mg/d), as well as a high zeaxanthin dose (30 mg/d), on the serum and macular pigment in a series of experiments. Serum carotenoids were quantified by HPLC. Macular pigment densities were determined psychophysically. Serum lutein concentrations in each subject reached a plateau that was correlated with the dose (r = 0.82, P < 0.001). Plateau concentrations ranged from 2.8 x 10-7 to 2.7 x 10-6 mol/L. Zeaxanthin was less well absorbed than an equal lutein dose, resulting in plateaus of 5 x 10-7 mol/L. The rate of increase in macular pigment optical density was correlated with the plateau concentration of carotenoids in the serum (r = 0.58, P < 0.001), but not with the presupplementation optical density (r = 0.13, P = 0.21). The mean rate of increase was (3.42 ± 0.80) x 105 mAU/d per unit concentration (mol/L) of carotenoids in the serum. It remains to be demonstrated whether lutein or zeaxanthin dietary supplements reduce the incidence of AMD.
Anthocyanosides in the treatment of retinopathies (author's transl)
Scharrer A, Ober M. Klin Monatsbl Augenheilkd 1981 May; 178(5): 386-9. [Article in German]
Thirty-one patients with various types of retinopathy were investigated with regard to the effect of anthocyanosides on the retinal vessels. Especially in patients with diabetic retinopathy, a positive influence on the permeability and tendency to hemorrhage was observed. The importance of internal treatment of the primary disease is pointed out.
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