[Three-Line Summary from Yak Al💊]

Since lutein is a fat-soluble ingredient, products made in soft gel capsules with olive oil as the solvent are absorbed better..
If the AREDS2 formula (lutein + zeaxanthin + vitamin C + E + zinc) is included together, the eye health effect becomes stronger..
Astaxanthin If you add this as well, you can also expect an effect in reducing eye fatigue..

There are two products with 12mg of lutein.. The prices are similar too.. But the absorption efficiency can be different..

It's because of one oil name written small on the package. Text that most people just overlook..

Hello, this is Eojung from Yak Al..

In the last column, we talked about marigold flower extract and country of origin..

If you happened to miss it, [reading the first article first] will help you understand today's story much better..

루테인 12mg짜리 제품 두 개가 있어요. 가격도 비슷해요. 근데 흡수 효율은 다를 수 있습니다.

Lutein must be eaten with fat to be well absorbed.

Lutein is a component that doesn't dissolve well in water but dissolves well in oil..

This is called fat-soluble.(脂溶性). Vitamins A, D, E, and K are the same type..

Why is fat-solubility important? It's related to how our body absorbs components..

Components that dissolve in oil need oil to be absorbed in the intestines.. If you just drink water while taking it, it doesn't enter the body well..

So lutein soft gel capsule(products are more advantageous..

Soft gel capsules dissolve lutein in oil beforehand, so they're made in a form for good absorption without having to eat fatty foods separately.. .

When you take fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin E together, the absorption rate becomes even higher..

Check the small name in the ingredient listâthe solvent.

If you slowly examine the ingredient list of a soft gel lutein product,, you can find an oil name written small next to the marigold flower extract..

Things like sunflower oil, safflower seed oil, or olive oil. This is called solvent.. It's the type of oil used when dissolving lutein in oil..

There are differences depending on the type..

Olive oilhas the highest absorption efficiency. However, the price is expensive..

Sunflower oil is the cheapest but has lower absorption efficiency..

If products have similar prices but different solvent types,, it's advantageous to choose olive oil-based products..

If there's a significant price difference and it's olive oil, it's good to understand that the difference is the cost of the oil when choosing..

제품 가격이 비슷한데도 용매 종류가 다르다면, 올리브유 기반을 선택하는 편이 유리합니다.

Secondary ingredients determine lutein's effect.

Even if you take lutein alone, it definitely helps macular health..

Let me briefly explain what the macula isâ, a very small area in the center of the inner eye, and it plays a critical role in how clearly we see objects..

When this area deteriorates, central vision becomes blurry or dark, which is called macular degeneration..

While this single lutein has the effect of protecting the macula,, research shows that the effect becomes stronger when taken in a combined form with multiple components..

It's a large-scale study conducted by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH),, AREDS2 and it's named.

the component combination whose effectiveness was verified in this study is exactly lutein,, zeaxanthin,, vitamin C, vitamin E, and zinc..

Products containing these five components together are called AREDS2 formula..

This combination increases the pigment density of the macula and prevents retinal cells from oxidative damage or inflammation..

Check the back of your lutein product to see if these components are together. If they are, it's a better quality product.!

연구에서 효과가 검증된 성분 조합이 바로 루테인, 지아잔틴, 비타민 C, 비타민 E, 아연입니다.

If you want to know more detailed criteria to apply when choosing a lutein product,,

👉 [you can check it all at once in the]comprehensive lutein selection guide.!

Astaxanthin: Adding It Together Also Reduces Eye Fatigue

Among secondary ingredients, there's one component worth paying special attention to. It's astaxanthin..

Astaxanthin is a component extracted from a very small type of algae called Haematococcus (a microorganism that lives in water)..

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety also defines it as Haematococcus extract.. If the ingredient list of a product shows Haematococcus extract,that means astaxanthin..

The point is that this component is a powerful antioxidant.. It is known to have antioxidant capacity as much as 6,000 times compared to vitamin C..

There is research showing that when you take lutein, zeaxanthin, and astaxanthin together, it's good for your eyes..

The content shows that eye fatigue decreases when looking at a screen for a long time, and the ability to shift focus improves..

It's a combination that fits well with the modern lifestyle of spending long hours in front of smartphones and monitors..

The recommended daily intake is 4â12 mg..

Safety for overdose of 40mg or more has not been sufficiently verified yet, so it's better to avoid taking too much..

Astaxanthin: You Should Also Check How It Was Extracted

When choosing a product with astaxanthin, there's one more part you can check.. Extraction method..

The best way to extract astaxanthin from Haematococcus is supercritical fluid extraction..

It sounds complicated, but the principle is simple. When CO2 (carbon dioxide) is compressed at very high pressure, it becomes a special state that is neither liquid nor gas..

Astaxanthin is dissolved in CO2 in this state, and when the pressure is lowered, the CO2 becomes a gas and floats away, leaving only astaxanthin..

Why is this method good?, Because it uses almost no heat, so the components don't get damaged..

If you extract by boiling at high temperatures, heat-sensitive components get destroyed, but supercritical extraction doesn't have such concerns..

If the product package or ingredient description says supercritical extraction, it's a signal that it's a more reliable raw material..

헤마토코쿠스에서 아스타잔틴을 뽑아내는 가장 좋은 방법은 초임계 추출법입니다.

Selenium, Vitamin C, and Berries Are Also Strong Partners for Eye Health

It's also good to remember that antioxidant components support lutein's effect..

Antioxidants like selenium (selenite), vitamin C, and astaxanthinwhen taken together strengthen the macular degeneration suppression effect..

If you want to get it from food, berries like blueberries and bilberries are good..

These foods are rich in antioxidant components..

셀레늄(셀렌), 비타민 C, 아스타잔틴 같은 항산화제들과 함께 섭취하면 황반변성 억제 효과가 더 강해집니다.

Today's discussion can be summarized like this:.

When choosing a lutein product,

check if it's a soft gel capsule,
what the solvent is,
whether the AREDS2 combination is included,
whether astaxanthin is included.

Check these four things in order..

Even if the ingredient list seems unfamiliar at first, if you just remember these four things, choosing a lutein product will become much easier..

눈 건강, 지금부터 챙겨도 늦지 않아요! 약사가 알려주는 루테인 영양제 고르는법

It's never too late to start taking care of your eye health.!

This was Eojung from Yak Al. 😉