ReviewAntioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)2020
A Mechanistic Review of β-Carotene, Lutein, and Zeaxanthin in Eye Health and Disease.
Review in Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland), 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 101 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
101 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 223 citations in OpenAlex.
- Should We 'Eat a Rainbow'? An Umbrella Review of the Health Effects of Colorful Bioactive Pigments in Fruits and Vegetables.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Pooled it
- Effect of Lutein Ester Supplement on Choroidal Thickness in Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Translational vision science & technology · 2025Trial
- Trial
- Effects of Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Combination with Lutein and Zeaxanthin on Episodic Memory in Healthy Older Adults.Nutrients · 2023Trial
- Integrating Hormesis and Xenohormesis in Plants Through Fitness and Response Variables.Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Few-shot learning-driven discovery of Lutein suppresses Th1-mediated inflammation via glucose metabolism.Acta pharmacologica Sinica · 2026Article
- Comparative Stability of Carotenoids in Grass-Fed and Grain-Fed Milk: Impact of Thermal Processing and the Protective Role of the Milk Matrix.Journal of food science · 2026Article
- Bioactive Properties of Carotenoids in Ocular Diseases: Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, and Neuroprotective Effects.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Effect of a Nutraceutical-Oriented Dietary Intervention on Serum Carotenoids and Antioxidant Vitamin Concentrations in Patients with Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Comparative Analysis of the Chemical Composition of Hemp and Linseed Varieties as Key Industrial Commodities.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Review
- Advances in Sustainable Lutein Production: Sources, Technologies, and Functional Applications.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Healthy Dietary Patterns and Risk of Major Eye Diseases: Evidence From Nationally Population-Based Data and Bibliometric Analysis.Food science & nutrition · 2026Article
- Examining macro and micronutrient intakes in the Sri Lankan twin cohort: validation of subjective biomarkers from the COTASS-3 study.BMC nutrition · 2026Article
- Dietary β-carotene improves the ovary development and antioxidant capacity of replacement gilts.Journal of animal science and biotechnology · 2026Article
- Natural antioxidant products and nanomaterial-based delivery systems for the amelioration of diabetic retinopathy: mechanisms, applications, and translational perspectives.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Integrated metabolomics and bioactivity analysis of new chrysanthemum cultivar petals: Insights into eye-protecting agents.PloS one · 2026Article
- The differential effects of lutein and zeaxanthin supplementation on myopia prevention in adolescents: a systematic review and Meta-analysis.International journal of ophthalmology · 2026Article
- Indoleamine-2,3-Dioxygenase 1 Enzyme Inhibition: a Useful Target to Screen Chemicals for their Therapeutic Potential.Journal of fluorescence · 2026Article
- Recent advances in ß-carotene: Biological activities, therapeutic potential, and delivery strategies.EXCLI journal · 2026Article
41 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Carotenoids are natural lipid-soluble antioxidants abundantly found as colorful pigments in fruits and vegetables. At least 600 carotenoids occur naturally, although about 20 of them, including β-carotene, α-carotene, lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin, meso-zeaxanthin, and cryptoxanthin, are detectable in the human blood. They have distinct physiological and pathophysiological functions ranging from fetal development to adult homeostasis. β-carotene is a precursor of vitamin A that essentially functions in many biological processes including vision. The human macula lutea and eye lens are rich in lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso-zeaxanthin, collectively known as macular xanthophylls, which help maintain eye health and prevent ophthalmic diseases. Ocular carotenoids absorb light from the visible region (400-500 nm wavelength), enabling them to protect the retina and lens from potential photochemical damage induced by light exposure. These natural antioxidants also aid in quenching free radicals produced by complex physiological reactions and, consequently, protect the eye from oxidative stress, apoptosis, mitochondrial dysfunction, and inflammation. This review discusses the protective mechanisms of macular xanthophylls in preventing eye diseases such as cataract, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy. Moreover, some preclinical animal studies and some clinical trials are discussed briefly to understand carotenoid safety and efficacy.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.