Carotenoids in foods more than pretty colors

Pigments in colorful fruits and vegetables called carotenoids have been found to improve the function of the human brain. (Special Photo: Georgia Health News) ATHENS — Carotenoids are plant pigments. They make tomatoes red and give carrots their distinctive orange hue. You see them when leaves change colors in the fall. But carotenoids are not just decorative. Among the roughly 600 carotenoids in nature, two in particular, lutein and zeaxanthin, have been found to improve the function of the human brain, according to researchers at the University of Georgia. “Carotenoids, in general, when we eat them, they are antioxidants, so they do a great job of keeping our bodies healthy and free of oxygenated damage,” Lisa Renzi-Hammond, one of the researchers looking at the effect of lutein and zeaxanthin, said. “They are anti-inflammatories, so we see that the more of these molecules we eat, the less inflammation we tend to have. “Our research shows that they are also changing, in many ways, the structure of the brain, and making it a more efficient organ.” Lutein is a lipid, fat-based antioxidant that the brain uses to prevent the oxidation of the fat in the brain, Billy Hammond, who is Renzi-Hammond’s research partner and husband, said. “It basically kind of links neurons together so they act more efficiently, so it helps cognition and a number of other processing things that the brain does,” Hammond said. In an experiment, Hammond and Renzi-Hammond looked at increased lutein intake in both older adults and people of college age. The study populations were given lutein and zeaxanthin supplements for a year to see how this changed their cognition. The groups taking the supplements were compared to groups taking a placebo. “We found that by improving basic functions, like helping the brain process faster, that all […]

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