Compound in Leafy Greens Enhances Visual Processing Speed

Green leafy vegetables are a good source of lutein and zeaxanthin, two carotenoid compounds that are important for eye health.  Billy Hammond, from the University of Georgia (Georgia, USA), and colleagues enrolled 64 young healthy men and women, and randomly assign them to one of three groups for a four-month period: the first group received placebo, the second group received zeaxanthin only (20 mg per day), the third group received a combination of lutein (8 mg per day), zeaxanthin (26 mg per day), and omega-3s (190 mg per day). In the group receiving zeaxanthin as well as the group receiving the combination supplement, the researchers observed that critical flicker fusion threshold – link to visual acuity , increased by 12%; visual motor reaction time rose by 10%, as compared to placebo. The study authors write that: ” increasing macular pigment density through supplementation (average increase of about 0.09 log units) resulted in significant improvements in visual processing speed.”