Kemin refutes Frost & Sullivan lutein claims
The formula – Eye Pro MD – is delivered via a proprietary omega-3/phospholipid delivery system and also contains vitamin D3.
The CARMIS (Carotenoids and Antioxidant in Age Related Maculopathy Italian Study) was reported in Ophthalmology in 2008.
The evidence is still mounting, but it appears different carotenoids function very differently in the eye, something that has been debated vigorously by those in the carotenoids business, and something a Valensa president Rudi Moerck acknowledged.
"The CARMIS study that employed astaxanthin as a key component suggests that it is an excellent addition to eye healthcare supplements that already contain lutein and zeaxanthin,” he said in a statement.
“Lutein is known to accumulate in the outer region of the macula, where light impingement is relatively low in comparison to the central macular region (also known as the fovea), where the highest light impingement always occurs and where maximum antioxidant protection is required.”
“…astaxanthin can be considered the first line of defense and should, in fact, allow the other ingredients to function more effectively.”
Valensa said it was designing a “multi-arm eye healthcare clinical trial” that would in part study the benefits of astaxanthin on its own as well as in conjunction with other carotenoids and omega-3 delivery systems.
Claims
While lutein, zeaxanthin, and astaxanthin have failed to impress Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) scientists in regard to their eye health-benefitting potential, claims have been approved such as two lutein claims in France.
They read:
‘Lutein helps protect the retina and the lens from oxidation’
‘Lutein is one (of the) constituents of the retina and the lens’
