SBH Rep contact request

In the news: Can Lutein Benefit the Brain in Children, the Middle-Aged & Older?

Can Carotenoids Help the Brain Stay Agile?

One consequence of growing older appears to be a loss of some aspects of our cognitive abilities – a loss that can be measured as early as middle age. Brain researchers are attempting to better understand how cognitive decline occurs with age.

Since people vary widely in age-related cognitive function, some researchers have wondered whether one’s diet could be driving some of these differences. Some evidence, for instance, suggests that dietary carotenoids might be a factor in slowing cognitive decline in older individuals.

Measuring amounts of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin concentrated in the eye’s macula (via macular pigment optical density or MPOD) may be one way of testing how diet might influence the brain. That’s because MPOD levels have been found to reflect dietary intake of carotenoids and brain concentrations of lutein, the main carotenoid in human brain tissue.

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, recently studied 60 young to middle-aged adults (25-45 years old) to see whether there was a notable difference in how participants with higher or lower lutein levels performed cognitive control tasks (1).

Cognitive control refers to the brain’s flexibility in adapting to changes when processing information. One of the control tasks performed reflects the mind’s ability to maintain attention and tune out distractions that aren’t relevant to the task at hand.

Electrical brain activity was recorded during performance of the tasks, and MPOD was measured.
The investigators found that MPOD was related to both age and the P3 wave – the specific electrical brain activity that occurs during decision making.
In general, younger study subjects had P3 wave amplitudes that were larger than older subjects.

The most interesting finding, however, was that older participants with higher MPOD levels had P3 wave amplitudes that were similar to their younger counterparts.

According to the authors, “the protective role of carotenoids within the central nervous system [brain] may be evident during early and middle adulthood, decades prior to the onset of older age.” Eating more lutein and zeaxanthin-rich food is a good habit to start early in life rather than waiting until old age to up our intake.

MPOD Levels Linked to Cognition in Kids

The same research team also explored the connection between the eye and brain in childhood – a critical period for carotenoid accumulation in the brain.

The team looked at 49 children, average age of 8 1/2, who participated in a widely regarded clinical trial (the FITKids Randomized Controlled Trial on Executive Control and Brain Function).

As with the previous study in 25-45 year olds, MPOD levels were measured and electrical brain activity (P3 wave) was recorded as the kids performed cognitive tasks (2).

MPOD was associated with more accurate task performance and P3 wave amplitude. The results suggest that children with higher MPOD may respond to cognitive tasks more efficiently.

While the results of both studies hold great promise, future clinical trials are needed to determine whether better intake of lutein can influence mental function in the young as well as help counter some of the subtle cognitive changes that come with age.

Meanwhile, we know that dietary carotenoids play a vital role in vision. So it makes good sense to eat more leafy veggies like kale and spinach, eggs, and avocados – one of the richest fruit sources of lutein.

References

1. Walk AM, et al. The role of retinal carotenoids and age on neuroelectric indices of attentional control among early to middle-aged adults. Front Aging Neurosci 9:183, 2017.
2. Walk AM, et al. From neuro-pigments to neural efficiency: The relationship between retinal carotenoids and behavioral and neuroelectric indices of cognitive control in childhood. Inter J Psychophysiol. 118:1-8, 2017.