Lutein May LowerHeart-Disease Risk

Lutein May LowerHeart-Disease Risk

ALHAMBRA, Calif.--In a study in the June 19 issue of Circulation (103: 2922, 2001)(http://circ.ahajournals.org), researchers found that lutein inhibited the onset ofatherosclerosis. Researchers, led by James Dwyer, Ph.D., from the University of Southern California located here, measured 480 volunteers' baseline lutein levels and the amount of fatty deposits in a major artery. During an 18-month period, it was found that people with the highest levels of lutein did not experience increased levels of arterial plaque, an indication ofatherosclerosis, and subjects with the lowest blood levels had increased plaque levels. In simultaneous animal and "test tube" experiments, lutein exhibited similar beneficial behavior.