Lutein is found in many vegetables such as kale, spinach, and broccoli, various fruits, and flowers. Given the dietary trend of Americans and people around the world, the chances are you are not getting enough lutein for your optimal protection. Like other carotenoids, lutein is water-insoluble, and vegetarian food alone would not guarantee the absorption of lutein in our intestine. Therefore, lutein supplements are recommendable for the majority of people.

Taking plenty of vegatables and fruits have been correlated to the reduction of the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindess among elderly people, by almost 50%. A large bowl of spinach salad would provide 6 mg of lutein, which corresponds to a daily recommended amount. Commercial lutein preparations would actually contain approximaltely 5% of the amount of lutein that they claim to have, because the actual dry weight content of lutein in the extracts is usually around 5%.

How efficiently does lutein in food or dietary supplement absorb through intestinal enterocytes is another important question. Therefore, it would be safe to take sufficient amount since lutein, like beta-carotene in carrots, has no known side effects.