A Diet High in Carotenoids May Promote the Health of Women Later in Life - Global Continent

 A Diet High in Carotenoids May Promote the Health of Women Later in Life

And how to increase the number of foods high in carotenoids in your diet.

You’ve probably tasted carotenoids, the antioxidants that give many red, orange, yellow, and green foods their color if you’ve ever bit into a crisp carrot or a juicy kiwi.

These natural food pigments have a long history of being used to reduce inflammation. Two carotenoids — lutein and zeaxanthin — have been linked to improved health in women later in life, according to recent studies.

Foods containing carotenoids may hold the delectable secret to reducing health issues that face women in their older years due to their advantages for eye and brain health.

Here’s why and how to include more of these vibrant minerals in your diet to help women live healthier, longer lives.

How Carotenoids Could Improve Old Women’s Health

Researchers looked at the so-called “mortality-morbidity paradox,” which highlights the fact that, although women normally live longer than males, they typically have more health issues, for the review, which was published in June in the journal Nutritional Neuroscience.

Billy R. Hammond, Ph.D., a professor in the behavioral and brain sciences department at the University of Georgia, and Lisa Renzi-Hammond, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the university’s Institute of Gerontology, set out to see if dietary components may aid women’s age-related diseases.

Carotenoids may be particularly important in the diets of women, despite the fact that antioxidants are beneficial for almost everyone. The risk of female health problems such breast and ovarian cancer, age-related muscle loss, inflammatory bowel disease, skin wrinkling, and multiple sclerosis has previously been linked to higher levels of carotenoids in the blood.

However, the focus of this study was on the interaction between two carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, or L and Z for short, and two additional conditions that disproportionately afflict women later in life: visual and neurodegenerative difficulties.

The researchers hypothesized that L and Z could aid women in reducing their risks because these conditions may be caused by oxidative and inflammatory stress — especially since antioxidants are known for their capacity to “clean” cells of harmful free radicals, or chemicals that have the potential to harm cells.

According to the review, lutein, and zeaxanthin directly enhanced performance and delayed aging in the brain and eyes. A diet rich in L and Z might decrease the progression of neurological conditions like dementia as well as visual disorders like cataracts and macular degeneration. The quality of life for older women may increase as a result of these developments.

Surprisingly, those carotenoids are crucial components of the eyes and brain themselves in addition to improving how well those organs perform. According to Hammond, “the contradiction here is that nutritional ingredient like carotenoids not only lower the chance of disease, but they also serve as the brain’s basic structural foundation.”

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Why Do Women Need Greater Amounts of Carotenoids Than Men?

Adding more color to one’s diet is obviously not hazardous for anyone, but you might be wondering why women often benefit more from carotenoids than men do.

There are a few explanations, according to Hammond. The first is simply because degenerative disorders like macular degeneration and Alzheimer’s disease, which carotenoids seem to be effective at avoiding, are more common in women.

In addition, according to Hammond, women’s bodies may employ these antioxidant substances in a different way than men’s due to differences in their reproductive biology, size, and body fat distribution. (It should be noted that the study only looked at those whose gender was determined at birth. According to Hammond, “certain health impacts do closely relate to biological sex.”)

Another explanation is that specific aspects of women’s lives lead to a greater requirement for carotenoids. The function of gender identity as a risk factor for degenerative illness is still not well understood, according to Hammond. We are aware that gender identity affects health behavior and that lifestyle has a significant impact. Future studies may provide additional information about how to change commonplace variables to lower the frequency of women.

But one thing is for sure: it’s never too early to begin consuming carotenoids. “In older age, women frequently experience degenerative problems. So they are a reflection of conduct across a lifetime. the better it is to start early, “Hammond remarked.

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How to Increase Your Daily Carotenoids Intake

It’s not difficult to include more carotenoids in your diet, particularly lutein and zeaxanthin.

Kale, parsley, spinach, broccoli, and peas are sources of carotenoids, notably lutein and zeaxanthin, according to nutritionist Katherine Brooking, MS, RD, LD, who spoke with Health. Kale, which contains 48–115 micrograms of lutein per gram, is one of the greatest sources of lutein. Try adding some leafy greens to a smoothie or boiling broccoli as a supper side dish for an antioxidant boost.

Vegetables aren’t the sole sources of lutein and zeaxanthin, though. There are significant levels in orange juice, honeydew melon, kiwis, red peppers, squash, egg yolks, and grapes. (You might have noticed a pattern — foods high in these antioxidants frequently have vibrant or warm-toned colors.)

Lutein and zeaxanthin may also improve the health of the eyes and the brain in addition to these advantages. According to a recent study, they could shield skin from UV deterioration, according to Brooking. Additionally, research on animals suggests that lutein and zeaxanthin may shield your skin cells from UVB-induced cancers and premature aging.

According to Brooking, there is presently no suggested daily intake for L and Z, thus there is no set amount to aim for each day. “Your body’s need for lutein and zeaxanthin may vary depending on how much stress it experiences. Smokers, for instance, might require extra lutein and zeaxanthin.”

However, the Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 demonstrated that 10 milligrams of lutein and 2 milligrams of zeaxanthin greatly slowed the development of age-related macular degeneration.

Supplements are another option if you believe that your diet is unable to provide enough lutein and zeaxanthin. “While eating foods high in carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin is the optimum way to intake nutrients, many Americans do not. Supplements can be useful in certain situations, “says Brooking.

The morbidity-mortality dilemma of women’s health may take years of research to fully understand, but there may be a solution at the bottom of your salad or at the end of your smoothie straw.

Older women can’t go wrong by increasing their diet of foods high in carotenoids for anti-inflammatory effects. If they make the appropriate decisions, Hammond asserts that elder age is a period when most individuals may truly prosper. Knowing (and thinking) what the really proper options are is a necessary component of achieving that.

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