Current results on the potential health benefits of lutein

Lutein is a nutritionally beneficial organic tetraterpenoid pigment; its molecular formula and weight are C40H56O2 and 568.87144 g/mol, respectively. It is responsible for the yellow color of fruits and vegetables and is found in high levels in parsley, spinach, kale, egg yolk, and lutein-fortified foods (Shegokar and Mitri, 2012). Lutein has a wide range of beneficial health effects including antioxidant, antiinflammatory, antiatherogenic, antihypertensive, antidiabetic, antiulcer, and anticancer effects (Miyazawa et al., 2013; Johnson, 2014; Erdman et al., 2015; Manayi et al., 2015). Furthermore, it is used to prevent eye diseases including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cataract, and retinitis pigmentosa (Koushan et al., 2013; Sulich et al., 2015). The commercial value of lutein is growing with the customary age-related macular degeneration applications. The lutein market is segmented into pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, food, pet foods, cosmetics, and animal and fish feed. Lutein shows a range of biological activities and health benefits in animals; therefore, herein, we have reviewed the most recent studies on lutein and its biological and pharmacological activities (Table 1).