Macular pigment optical density is related to cognitive function in older people

Vishwanathan, Rohini; Iannaccone, Alessandro; Scott, Tammy; Kritchevsky, Stephen B.; Jennings, Barbara J.; Carboni, Giovannella; Forma, Gina; Satterfield, Suzanne; Harris, Tamara B.; Johnson, Karen C.; Schalch, Wolfgang; Renzi, Lisa M.; Rosano, Caterina; Johnson, Elizabeth J.

doi:10.1093/ageing/aft210

Cited by 121 publications

(117 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…For example, Nolan et al (36) found that supplementing patients with AD with macular carotenoids did not improve cognitive function. Studies that focused on older adults at risk of, but with no signs of, dementia found consistent relations between cognitive function and LZ status (37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42). Of course, for the result to be valid even for this highly selective sample, the measures of cognitive function and decline must also be valid.…”

Section: Study Populationmentioning

confidence: 95%

Perspective: A Critical Look at the Ancillary Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2: Nutrition and Cognitive Function Results in Older Individuals with Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Hammond

2016

Advances in Nutrition

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A large body of literature suggests that the dietary carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids such as docosahexaenoic acid are related to improved cognitive function across the life span. A recent report by the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) group appears to contradict the general findings of others in the field. In this review, we look critically at the methods, study designs, and analysis techniques used in the larger body of literature and compare them with the recent AREDS reports.

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Section: Study Populationmentioning

confidence: 95%

Perspective: A Critical Look at the Ancillary Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2: Nutrition and Cognitive Function Results in Older Individuals with Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Hammond

2016

Advances in Nutrition

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“…Individuals with lower MPOD also had poorer prospective memory, took longer time to complete a trail-making task, and had slower and more variable reaction times on a choice reaction time task (Feeney et al, 2013). MPOD levels were significantly associated with better global cognition, verbal learning and fluency, recall, processing speed and perceptual speed in older adults from the age-related maculopathy ancillary study of the Health Aging and Body Composition Study (Vishwanathan et al, 2014a). Finally, in subjects with mild cognitive impairment, MPOD was related to cognition including the composite score on the mini-mental state examination, visual-spatial and constructional abilities, language ability, attention, and the total scale on the repeatable battery for the assessment of neuropsychological status .…”

Section: Lutein and Zeaxanthin: The Function In The Brainmentioning

confidence: 98%

Why lutein is important for the eye and the brain

Ramírez

2015

OCL

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-Lutein and zeaxanthin are carotenoids that accumulate in the macula. The macula is a yellow spot near the center of the retina that is responsible of high resolution vision. Macular pigment acts as a natural blue light filter and protects the eye from damage. Macular pigment optical density (MPOD) increases with lutein administration and is related to visual function and to the prevention of age-related macular degeneration. MOPD can be measured noninvasively and has been related to better cognitive performance. Moreover, compositional analyses of centenarian brains have shown that lutein is the main carotenoid in the brain although not in plasma, indicating a preferential accumulation in neural tissues, and that carotenoids status is correlated with some functional outcomes. Carotenoids are present in human milk with higher concentration in colostrum than in transitional and mature milk. Formula fed-infants have less plasma lutein concentration than breast fed infants. Analyses of brain from infants who died during the first year of life showed that lutein is also the predominant carotenoid of brain. Studies in non-human primates revealed that carotenoids are determinant in the formation of the retinal epithelia. In vitro studies showed that lutein stimulates the differentiation of human stem cells to neural progenitor cells. All this findings together, mostly the presence of lutein in breast milk, plasma concentration in breast-fed infants vs. formula fed infants, preferential accumulation in the brain and evidences of influence on the retina and the functionality of the brain signal the importance of the role of lutein and zeaxanthin on visual maturation and brain development.Keywords: Lutein / zeaxanthin / brain / infant / nutrition Résumé -Importance de la lutéine pour l'oeil et le cerveau. La lutéine et la zéaxanthine sont des caroténoïdes qui s'accumulent dans la macula. La macula est une tache jaune, située près du centre de la rétine, qui est responsable de la vision fine. Le pigment maculaire agit comme un filtre naturel de la lumière bleue nocive et protège l'oeil contre d'éventuels dommages. La densité optique du pigment maculaire (ou MPOD, acronyme de Macular pigment optical density) augmente avec l'administration de lutéine et est liée à la qualité de la fonction visuelle et à la prévention de la dégénérescence maculaire liée à l'âge. La MOPD peut être mesurée de manière non invasive et a été associée à de meilleures performances cognitives. En outre, les analyses de composition de cerveaux de centenaires ont montré que la lutéine est le caroténoïde principal du cerveau mais pas du plasma, ce qui indique une accumulation préférentielle dans les tissus neuronaux et que le statut en caroténoïdes est corrélé avec quelques données fonctionnelles. Les caroténoïdes sont présents dans le lait maternel avec une concentration plus élevée dans le colostrum que dans lait de transition ou mature. Les enfants nourris avec des formules infantiles (végétales) présentent des diminutions de concentrations...

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“…In adults, higher lutein status is related to better cognitive performance, and lutein supplementation improves cognition. [108] A study was conducted on 35 community dwelling older adults ages 65-94 engaged in an fMRI adapted verbal paired associates (VPA) task, including a learning and recalling test. Lutein/zeaxanthin levels were estimated using a standard Macular Pigment Ocular Density (MPOD) procedure and used as a covariate in the fMRI analyses.…”

Section: Skin Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lutein – The Less Explored Carotenoid

Hirdyani¹

2017

WJPR

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Lutein and zeaxanthin are xanthophyll carotenoids found particularly in dark-green leafy vegetables and in egg yolks. They are widely distributed in tissues and are the principal carotenoids in the eye lens and macular region of the retina. Epidemiologic studies depicts an inverse relationship between xanthophyll intake and Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), cataract and Age-Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD) thus suggesting a protective role of these compounds in the eye. Some observational studies have also shown these xanthophylls may help reduce the risk of certain types of cancer and diabetes. It is also known to have beneficial effects on skin health. Emerging studies suggest as well a potential contribution of lutein and zeaxanthin to the prevention of various cardiovascular diseases too. The use of lutein as a nutritional supplement has been explored in recent years. It is used as a major pharmaceutical but its application as a nutraceutical still needs to be emphasised upon as its industrial application will be very promising in near future. Lutein is a promising biologically active component in the food industry.

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Macular pigment optical density is related to cognitive function in older people

Abstract: MPOD is related to cognitive function in older people. Its role as a potential biomarker of cognitive function deserves further study.

Cited by 121 publications

References 17 publications

Perspective: A Critical Look at the Ancillary Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2: Nutrition and Cognitive Function Results in Older Individuals with Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Perspective: A Critical Look at the Ancillary Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2: Nutrition and Cognitive Function Results in Older Individuals with Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Why lutein is important for the eye and the brain

Lutein – The Less Explored Carotenoid

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