Lutein bioavailability from eggs are higher than that from other sources such as supplements and spinach

This study was published in the Journal of Nutrition 2004 Aug;134(8):1887-93

 

Study title and authors:

Lutein bioavailability is higher from lutein-enriched eggs than from supplements and spinach in men.

Chung HY, Rasmussen HM, Johnson EJ.

Jean Mayer U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111, USA.

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15284371

Chung notes that lutein may be protective against diseases such as age-related macular degeneration.

This study investigated the bioavailability from four sources; (i) lutein supplement, (ii) lutein ester supplement, (iii) spinach, (iv) eggs. The study included ten men who were administered one of the four lutein doses for nine days.

The study found:
(a) Lutein levels rose by 323.4% in the egg consumers.
(b) Lutein levels rose by 140.1% in the spinach consumers.
(c) Lutein levels rose by 82.1% in the lutein supplement consumers.
(d) Lutein levels rose by 81.9% in the lutein ester supplement consumers.

The researchers concluded that lutein bioavailability from eggs are significantly higher than that from other sources such as lutein, lutein ester supplements, and spinach: And that eggs may decrease the risk of certain diseases such as age-related macular degeneration.