The world’s leading experts in the field of carotenoids — Vitamin A, beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin — gathered at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University on March 11-12, 2001, to share the newest research findings at a 2-day conference called “New Developments in Carotenoids Research.”

Some quick tidbits:

• Lutein and zeaxanthin help to withstand a glare and to recover from a blinding flash of light
• Gene variants that lower xanthophyll (lutein and lycopene) binding proteins in the eyes correlate with AMD risk
• Measurements of carotenoids in skin and serum are not reliable biomarkers of macular pigment optical density

Carotenoid-rich plant food sources identified by several conference speakers were spinach, carrots, spirulina, hybridized yellow corn and bioengineered Golden Rice.

Click here ^[1] for further details about the conference.

Risa Schulman, PhD
Expert, Healthy Food and Dietary Supplement Science, Marketing and Regulatory
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