Macular Wellness Lycopene
The whole carotenoid family of 600 phytonutrients all competes for intestinal absorption by a single pathway.
Twenty of those carotenoids are found in significant quantities in human blood. Many of those are known to have substantial health benefits, including participation in the prevention of blindness by Macular Degeneration (AMD), considered the leading cause of 'irreversible' blindness in modern culture, even though we have been helping patients, clients, and other doctors reverse it at all stages for over 40 years.
Many of these essential phytonutrients are not yet considered vitamins because their deficiency states are chronic degenerative conditions associated with aging rather than acute deficiency syndromes that cause death, as highlighted by Professor Bruce Ames at Stanford, developer of the Ames test for the carcinogenicity of chemical compounds.
Even though textbooks may still describe this age-related maculopathy as 'irreversible', we have been researching and documenting its prevention and reversibility for four decades, including restoration of functional vision in cases that were already legally blind.
Our comprehensive Macular Wellness formulas are designed so you can take a different Carotenoid at each meal to maximize absorption and neuroprotection.
Lycopene in the diet is mainly found in deep red vine-ripened tomatoes, not so much in the ones from most stores.
Dietary intake varies widely, with an average of 5 to 7 mg daily.
Besides its ocular benefits in macular and lens health, lycopene is helpful in cardiovascular health, neurodegenerative processes, and several types of cancer, including breast and prostate.
Medical Literature Reviews:Â
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23808425/
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11022591/
Even though Lycopene is not stored in the macula lutea tissues, it is the only carotenoid that is found to be depleted in the blood serum in macular degeneration.
One hypothesis proposes that Lycopene may protect the carotenoids Lutein, Zeaxanthin, and Meso-Zeaxanthin that bio-accumulate in the macula.
Research Reference:
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15963792/
In a study of antioxidant levels in cataract prevention, Lycopene showed the most potent effect.
Nuclear cataract prevention was most associated with Alpha-carotene with an odds ratio of 0.5, and secondarily with Beta-carotene at 0.7.
Cortical cataract prevention was linked to Lycopene at the most substantial ratio of 0.4.
Posterior subcapsular cataract prevention was connected to Lutein at OR = 0.5.
Research Reference:
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11713067/
When supplemented as mixed carotenoids, they all compete for absorption. Avoid taking Beta Carotene or Mixed Carotenoid products at the same meal as your Macular Wellness formula...
Also, avoid supplements with stearates or stearic acid listed as 'Other Ingredients.' They form a biofilm that blocks absorption of all nutrients.
Each excipient-free capsule supplies:
Nutritional Factors:
v Vitamin B9: 5-MTHF 400 mcg 100%
Background:Â No effective therapeutic strategy for geographic atrophy (GA) is available, and prevention could be of great value. Conclusions:Â High folate intake was associated with a reduced risk of progression to GA. Source:Â Dietary folate, B vitamins, genetic susceptibility and progression to advanced nonexudative age-related macular degeneration with geographic atrophy: a prospective cohort study
i Vitamin B12: Adenosyl Cobalamin & Methyl Cobalamin 1000 mcg 1667%
Conclusion:Â Elevated serum tHcy [total homocysteine]Â and folate and vitamin B-12 deficiencies predicted increased risk of incident AMD, which suggests a potential role for vitamin B-12 and folate in reducing AMD risk. Source:Â Homocysteine, folate, vitamin B-12, and 10-y incidence of age-related macular degeneration
s Methyl Cobalamin 6 mcg 100%
We emphasize the mitochondrial coenzyme form and keep Methyl B12 to a minimum essential level because Methyl B12 is the catalyst that methylates Mercury. Research shows that "...methylation proceeded at a remarkably high rate when methylcobalamin and inorganic mercury were mixed." Source:Â Chemical methylation of inorganic mercury with methylcobalamin, a vitamin B12 analog
i Vitamin B15: TMG from Beta spp. 30 mg
Trimethylglycine is a methyl donor with three methyl groups. In a twin study, "The twin with the earlier stage of AMD, smaller drusen size and area, and less pigment tended to have higher dietary vitamin D, betaine, or methionine intake." Source:Â Smoking, dietary betaine, methionine, and vitamin D in monozygotic twins with discordant macular degeneration: epigenetic implications
t Vitamin B20: ALCAR 30 mg
In patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), acetyl-L-carnitine improved four parameters of visual function, including visual field mean defect, visual acuity, foveal sensitivity and ocular fundus alterations. Source:Â The aging eye and the role of L-carnitine and its derivatives
 Vitamin C: Ascorbyl Palmitate 20 mg 33%
[I]ntake... associated significantly (P ≤ 0.0005) with decreased risk of late AMD: vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, folate, β-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, magnesium, copper, and alcohol. Source: Dietary Nutrient Intake and Progression to Late Age-Related Macular Degeneration in the Age-Related Eye Disease Studies 1 and 2
o Ascorbyl Palmitate 50 mg
The lipophilic AP was able to cross biological barriers and satisfied the tissue demand for ascorbate better than the hydrophilic form. AP should be considered as the preferred form of transport of ascorbate into neural tissues. Source: Ascorbyl palmitate as a carrier of ascorbate into neural tissues
 Ascorbyl Palmitate 50 mg
The lipophilic AP was able to cross biological barriers and satisfied the tissue demand for ascorbate better than the hydrophilic form. AP should be considered as the preferred form of transport of ascorbate into neural tissues. Source: Ascorbyl palmitate as a carrier of ascorbate into neural tissues
 CoQ10 (20% Ultra Absorption) 25 mg supplies 5 mg
Early studies showed treatment of CoQ10 improved visual function in patients with age-related macular degeneration. Source: Therapeutic Potential of Co-enzyme Q10 in Retinal Diseases
 L-Carnosine 30 mg
Carnosine (beta-alanyl-L-histidine) has protective functions additional to anti-oxidant and free-radical scavenging roles. It extends cultured human fibroblast life-span, kills transformed cells, protects cells against aldehydes and an amyloid peptide fragment and inhibits, in vitro, protein glycation (formation of cross-links, carbonyl groups and AGEs) and DNA/protein cross-linking. Carnosine is an aldehyde scavenger, a likely lipofuscin (age pigment) precursor and possible modulator of diabetic complications, atherosclerosis and Alzheimer's disease. Source: Carnosine, a protective, anti-ageing peptide?
 Stabilized Bio-Enhanced® R-Lipoic Acid 25 mg
We use the patented Stabilized Bio-Enhanced® R-Lipoate form because it is many times more bioavailable than the ordinary natural R-Lipoic Acid and 40 times more than synthetic racemic Lipoic Acid forms that can also harbor toxic impurities. "The contrast sensitivity measured at middle and low spatial frequency was significantly higher after LA [Lipoic Acid] treatment. ...LA treatment improves vision-related quality of life in patients with dry AMD probably by increasing antioxidant activity. Thus, LA can be regarded as a promising agent for the treatment of AMD." Source: α-Lipoic Acid Treatment Improves Vision-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration
 S-Acetyl Glutathione 25 mg
Reduced Glutathione is preferable to common Glutathione supplements but is subject to digestion in the gut and in the blood on the way to the retina. We use the more precious S-Acetyl Glutathione form because the addition of the acetyl group not only facilitates crossing the blood-eye barrier but also prevents its digestion until it is taken into the intracellular space, where an enzyme cleaves it off, releasing pre-formed reduced Glutathione into the cytoplasm. "The results suggest that in studies of age-related pathologies, oxidation of GSH may be a more important parameter than a decline in pool size, while in specific pathologies such as diabetes, both oxidation and a decline in pool size may be important."Â Source:Â Glutathione in human plasma: decline in association with aging, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetes
 N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) 25 mg
In both AMD and No AMD cells, NAC pretreatment reduced t-BHP-induced ROS production and protected from H2O2-induced cell death and ATP depletion. In the absence of oxidation, NAC treatment improved mitochondrial function in both groups (p < 0.01). Conversely, the protective response exhibited by NAC was disease-dependent for some parameters. In the absence of oxidation, NAC significantly reduced ROS production (p < 0.001) and increased GSH content (p = 0.02) only in RPE from AMD donors. Additionally, NAC-mediated protection from H2O2-induced GSH depletion (p = 0.04) and mitochondrial dysfunction (p < 0.05) was more pronounced in AMD cells compared with No AMD cells. These results demonstrate the therapeutic benefit of NAC by mitigating oxidative damage in RPE. Additionally, the favorable outcomes observed for AMD RPE support NAC's relevance and the potential therapeutic value in treating AMD. Source: N-Acetyl-L-cysteine Protects Human Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells from Oxidative Damage: Implications for Age-Related Macular Degeneration
 Taurate 46 mg
In this review, we reported evidence of the protective role of taurine against retinal functional and morphological injuries in animal and in in vitro retinal disease models, thus implying that taurine may have a therapeutic potential in the treatment of retinal and degenerative disorders. Indeed, increasing data indicate that taurine may be effective in slowing down the progression of retinal diseases, thus suggesting that taurine can be a promising candidate for the prevention or as adjuvant treatment of these diseases. The mechanism by which taurine supplementation acts is mainly reducing the OS, even also antiapoptotic effects are involved.... [T]aurine should therefore be strongly reconsidered as a potential treatment for retinal diseases. Source: Taurine and oxidative stress in retinal health and disease
 Magnesium 4 mg 1%
[I]intake... associated significantly (P ≤ 0.0005) with decreased risk of late AMD: vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, folate, β-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, magnesium, copper, and alcohol.... Regarding neovascular AMD, 9 nutrients were associated... with decreased risk-vitamin A, vitamin B6, β-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, magnesium, copper, docosahexaenoic acid, omega-3 fatty acid, and alcohol... Source: Dietary Nutrient Intake and Progression to Late Age-Related Macular Degeneration in the Age-Related Eye Disease Studies 1 and 2
Botanical Factors:
 Lycopene 12% (Solanum lycopersicum) 30 mg * supplies 3.6 mg Lycopene per capsule (Tomato)
Background: Epidemiological studies have established that a low serum concentration of carotenoids was associated with risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD). Conclusions: Lycopene, as liposoluble antioxidant nutrient, is the only carotenoid altered in ARMD patients. It cannot be excluded that this effect is related to different dietary habits, but we hypothesise that lower lycopene status could result also from specific antioxidant protection of lutein and zeaxanthin by lycopene. Source: Lycopene but not lutein nor zeaxanthin decreases in serum and lipoproteins in age-related macular degeneration patients
Pre-incubation of ARPE-19 cells with lutein or lycopene protected against tBHP-induced cell loss.... Our findings indicate that lutein and lycopene inhibit the growth of human RPE cells and protect the RPE against oxidative stress-induced cell loss. Source: Effects of the Macular Carotenoid Lutein in Human Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells
Recommended dosages of Lycopene range from 2 mg to 30 mg per day according to the Mayo Clinic, while clinical trials have used 7 to 75 mg/day.
Like Lutein, increased Lycopene intake reduces cataract risk, protects against heart disease and diabetes, and is protective against lung, cervical, and prostate cancers. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
People in the lowest quartile for serum Lycopene levels have 2 times the risk of ARMD. (6)
Of all the biological carotenoids, Lycopene is the most efficient antioxidant for quenching singlet oxygen. (7)
Lycopene has Nrf2-regulated antioxidant properties in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells. Lycopene increases Glutamate-cysteine ligase (GCL), which is the rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of Glutathione (GSH) and raises intracellular GSH levels.Â
Lycopene also has anti-inflammatory properties, abolishing TNF-α-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, inhibiting ICAM-1 expression and abolishing NF-κB activation for up to 12h. (8) A twice daily dosage schedule is, therefore, a reasonable consideration.
Lycopene is the only carotenoid altered in ARMD patients, and one hypothesis is that it may protect lutein and zeaxanthin. (9)
Lycopene References:
1. Giovannucci E, Ascherio A, Rimm EB, et al. Intake of carotenoids and retinol in relation to risk of prostate cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1995;87:1767-1776.
2. Sies H, Stahl W. Lycopene: antioxidant and biological effects and its bioavailability in the human. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1998;218:121-124.
3. Rao AV, Agarwal S. Bioavailability and in vivo antioxidant properties of lycopene from tomato products and their possible role in the prevention of cancer. Nutr Cancer. 1998;31:199-203.
4. Franceschi S, Bidoli E, La Vecchia C, et al. Tomatoes and risk of digestive-tract cancers. Int J Cancer. 1994;59:181-184.
5. Sesso HD, Liu S, Gaziano JM, et al. Dietary lycopene, tomato-based food products and cardiovascular disease in women. J Nutr. 2003;133:2336-2341.
6. Mares-Perlman JA, Brady WE, Klein R, et al. Serum antioxidants and age-related macular degeneration in a population-based case-control study. Arch Ophthalmol. 1995;113:1518-1523.
7. Mascio PD, Kaiser S, Sies H. Lycopene as the most efficient biological carotenoid singlet oxygen quencher. Biochemistry and Biophysics Volume 274, Issue 2, 1 November 1989, Pages 532-538.
8. Po-Min Yang, Zhi-Zhen Wu, Yu-Qi Zhang, Being-Sun Wung. Lycopene inhibits ICAM-1 expression and NF-κB activation by Nrf2-regulated cell redox state in human retinal pigment epithelial cells. Life Sci. 2016 Jun 15;155:94-101.
9. Cardinault N, Abalain J-H, Sairafi B, Coudray C, Grolier P, Rambeau M, Carré J-L, Mazur A, Rock E Lycopene but not lutein nor zeaxanthin decreases in serum and lipoproteins in age-related macular degeneration patients. Clin Chim Acta. 2005 Jul 1;357(1):34-42.
 Curcumin (Curcuma longa) 20 mg
...the mechanisms of curcumin impact on oxidative stress, angiogenesis and inflammatory processes are described indicating that curcumin use may... restore body homeostasis. Its effectiveness was also proved for major eye diseases... such as glaucoma, cataract, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, corneal neovascularization, corneal wound healing, dry eye disease, conjunctivitis, pterygium, anterior uveitis.... [C]urcumin may be used as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of various eye disorders. Source: Therapeutic potential of curcumin in eye diseases
Curcumin has found a role in slowing, and in some cases even reversing, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinitis pigmentosa, proliferative vitreoretinopathy, and retinal cancers. Source: Therapeutic potential of curcumin in major retinal pathologies
 Quercetin Dihydrate (Sophora japonica) 20 mg
We use the water-soluble Dihydrate form of Quercetin because it is about eight times more bioavailable than common Quercetin. "[Q]uercetin improved retinal deformation and increased the thickness of both the outer nuclear layer and inner nuclear layer.... Taken together, these results demonstrate that quercetin could protect retinal pigment epithelium and the retina from... cell apoptosis via reactive oxygen species-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction.... This suggests that quercetin can potentially prevent and delay AMD and other retinal diseases involving... apoptosis."Â Source:Â Protective Effect of Quercetin on Sodium Iodate-Induced Retinal Apoptosis through the Reactive Oxygen Species-Mediated Mitochondrion-Dependent Pathway
Quercetin inhibited the formation of CNV both in vivo and in vitro and increased choroidal blood flow. It could become a promising candidate for the treatment of AMD. Source: Effect of quercetin on formation of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in age-related macular degeneration(AMD)
 Polyphenols (Camelia sinensis) 20 mg
...GTE and its catechin constituents are potent anti-oxidants that offer neuroprotection to the outer retinal degeneration... Source: Green tea catechins are potent anti-oxidants that ameliorate sodium iodate-induced retinal degeneration in rats
 Ginsenosides (Panax quinquefolius) 7 mg
...botanical compounds, including those extracted from ginseng, have been shown to possess beneficial effects in the treatment or prevention of common ocular diseases. Source: Ginseng for an eye: effects of ginseng on ocular diseases
 Salvianolic Acid 20% (Salvia miltiorrhiza) 10 mg
...Sal A protects RPE from lipid oxidative damage and chronic inflammation... Source: Salvianolic acid A protects retinal pigment epithelium from OX-LDL-induced inflammation in an age-related macular degeneration model
 C3G 40% (Oryza sativa) 10 mg
...C3G has great protective effects, highlighting future potential applications of C3G against AMD-associated inflammation. Source: Cyanidin-3-glucoside Alleviates 4-Hydroxyhexenal-Induced NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation via JNK-c-Jun/AP-1 Pathway in Human Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells
 Trans-Resveratrol (Polygonum cuspidatum) 5 mg
Rare spontaneous remissions from age-related macular degeneration (AMD) suggest the human retina has large regenerative capacity, even in advanced age. We present examples of robust improvement of retinal structure and function using an OTC oral resveratrol (RV) based nutritional supplement... Source:Â Observation of human retinal remodeling in octogenarians with a resveratrol based nutritional supplement
 Bioavailability Factors: Fibonacci-inspired sequence of Ginkgo, Niacin, Licorice, Moringa, Gingerol, Piperine, & Vinpocetine.