The cell study, published in the Journal of Nutrition (2005, vol. 816, no. 3), investigated the effects of antioxidants on human eye cells following ultraviolet B light (UVB) radiation. Researchers at Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, treated human eye cells to a bath of antioxidants including alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E), and the xanthophylls lutein and zeaxanthin, for 4 hours before ultraviolet radiation exposure.
Findings revealed that there was a significant 47-57% reduction in damage to antioxidant-treated cells as compared to untreated cells. They also showed that xanthophyll antioxidants were more potent than alpha-tocopherol for protecting the eye cells against ultraviolet radiation. This study gives the first direct evidence for the photoprotective effect of antioxidants in human eye cells.
Posted by Kristopher Foster on February 3, 2006 06:23 PM
