Lutein + zeaxanthin
Lutein and zeaxanthin are yellow carotenoids that collect in the retina, where they form the macular pigment. Green leaves, peas, and corn are the main sources; the body does not turn them into vitamin A.
No set daily amount
10 + 2 mg lutein and zeaxanthin a day in the AREDS2 eye formula
EFSA safe intake · 1 mg of lutein per kg of body weight a day
- Most per 100 g 13,610µg Dandelion greens
- Most per portion 4,149µg 1 cup peas
- Main sources Green leaves and peas then corn, pistachios and egg yolk
- In the body Macula the center of the retina
Food figures are lutein and zeaxanthin together, per 100 g, from USDA FoodData Central.
Foods High in Lutein + Zeaxanthin
Ranked per 100 g, with what a usual portion gives, limited to 3 foods per category. Foods with a Caltide calorie page link to it.
D
Dandelion greens
7486 µg in 1 cup
13,610µg / 100 g
C
Cress
6250 µg in 1 cup
12,500µg / 100 g
T
Turnip greens
19600 µg in 1 cup
11,879µg / 100 g
W
Wasabi peas
5916 µg in 1 cup
4,930µg / 100 g
A
Arugula
3,555µg / 100 g
P
Pistachios
813 µg in 1 handful
Nutrition facts
2,903µg / 100 g
B
Boston lettuce
1,724µg / 100 g
E
Edamame
1,567µg / 100 g
L
Lettuce
Nutrition facts
1,510µg / 100 g
C
Corn flakes
440 µg in 1 cup
Nutrition facts
1,466µg / 100 g
Per 100 g vs. a Usual Portion
Why the food that ranks first per 100 g can give less in a real serving.
| Food | Usual portion | Per 100 g | Per portion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spinach | 1 cup, raw (30 g) | 6,020µg | 1806µg |
| Pistachios | 1 handful (28 g) | 2,903µg | 813µg |
| Peas | 1 cup (160 g) | 2,593µg | 4149µg |
| Zucchini | 1 cup, chopped (124 g) | 2,125µg | 2635µg |
| Corn | 1 medium ear (90 g) | 644µg | 580µg |
| Egg | 1 egg (50 g) | 353µg | 176µg |
Spinach looks strong per 100 g, but a cup of raw leaves weighs only 30 g. A cup of cooked green peas gives more than twice as much.
What Are Lutein and Zeaxanthin?
Lutein and zeaxanthin are xanthophylls, the carotenoids that carry oxygen atoms in their structure. They are isomers of each other: the same formula, with one double bond in a different place. Unlike beta-carotene, neither becomes vitamin A.
What Lutein and Zeaxanthin Do in the Eye
The macula is the small spot at the center of the retina that gives sharp, detailed vision for reading and recognizing faces. Lutein and zeaxanthin build up there, together with meso-zeaxanthin that the eye makes from lutein, as a yellow layer called the macular pigment.
That layer works as a filter. It absorbs blue light before it reaches the light-sensing cells, and in the lab it neutralizes reactive oxygen that light exposure creates. The eye cannot make lutein or zeaxanthin itself, so the amount there depends on what you eat.
The two are not spread evenly. Zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin are most concentrated at the very center of the macula, while lutein dominates toward its edges. Their food sources lean differently too: lutein comes mostly from dark green leaves such as kale and spinach, zeaxanthin more from corn, orange peppers and egg yolk. Food tables measure them together, which is why this page ranks them as one figure.
Lutein and Zeaxanthin Food Sources
Dark green leaves are the richest source, even though they do not look yellow: green chlorophyll hides the yellow pigments until a leaf dies in the fall. In yellow corn the pigments show, and corn is one of the better sources of zeaxanthin in particular.
Egg yolks get their color from the same pigments, taken from the hen's feed. A yolk holds far less than a serving of greens, but its fat helps the body take it up.
A Day of Food Compared With the AREDS2 Dose
The AREDS2 eye trial used 12 mg of lutein and zeaxanthin a day. The table shows how close one ordinary day of library foods gets, in usual portions and with no supplements.
| Meal | Food | Amount | Lutein + zeaxanthin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Egg | 50g | 176µg |
| Breakfast | Oats | 40g | 72µg |
| Snack | Pistachios | 28g | 813µg |
| Lunch | Spinach | 30g | 1806µg |
| Lunch | Corn | 90g | 580µg |
| Dinner | Salmon | 125g | 0µg |
| Dinner | Peas | 160g | 4149µg |
| Dinner | Broccoli | 91g | 678µg |
| Total | 8274µg |
The day totals 8,274 µg, about 69% of the 12,000 µg in the trial formula, and 50% of it comes from peas alone.
What the AREDS2 Trial Found About Lutein
The National Eye Institute's first AREDS trial showed that a formula of vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, zinc, and copper lowered the chance that intermediate age-related macular degeneration would turn advanced. AREDS2, with about 4,200 people followed for five years, then tested 10 mg of lutein and 2 mg of zeaxanthin.
Adding them to the formula did not lower risk further overall. Swapping them in for beta-carotene worked as well, and the beta-carotene group, which included former smokers, had more lung cancers. Today's AREDS2 formula therefore uses lutein and zeaxanthin. The trial did not find that they lowered cataract risk overall.
Common Lutein Mistakes
Eating carrots for the macula. Carrots help night vision through vitamin A, but raw carrots have only 256 µg of lutein and zeaxanthin per 100 g in the Caltide food library, against 6,020 µg in raw spinach.
Taking the eye formula for healthy eyes. AREDS2 studied people who already had intermediate macular degeneration, or advanced disease in one eye. It did not test whether the formula prevents the disease in people without it.
Eating greens with no fat. Lutein dissolves in fat. A plain spinach salad gives up less than one dressed with olive oil or eaten with eggs.
Lutein Supplements
Supplements are also a source, either alone or in eye formulas. Most lutein in them is extracted from marigold flowers (Tagetes erecta).
Free Lutein or Lutein Esters
Labels list either free lutein or lutein esters, which are lutein bound to fatty acids as it is in the flower. The gut splits the esters before absorbing them, so the amount to compare is the lutein content, not the weight of the esters. Like the carotenoids in food, both are best taken with a meal that has some fat.
Lutein Safety
- EFSA acceptable daily intake1 mg per kg of body weight, about 70 mg for a 70 kg adult
- Yellow skinvery high intakes can tint the skin, which is harmless and fades
Sources are listed at the end of this page. Not medical advice.
How to Track Lutein and Zeaxanthin in Caltide
- Logged automaticallyCaltide adds up the lutein and zeaxanthin in every food you log and shows the total in the Nutrition tab, as one figure like the food tables. There is no daily target.
- Supplements count tooAdd your eye supplement once with its lutein and zeaxanthin as ingredients. Each day you tick it off, it counts toward your total.
Lutein + Zeaxanthin Sources and References
The figures and claims on this page are checked against these sources. Food amounts come from USDA FoodData Central.
Questions About Lutein + Zeaxanthin
They form the yellow macular pigment at the center of the retina, where they absorb blue light before it reaches the cells that give sharp vision. Of the carotenoids in food, only these two build up there; the eye also makes a third, meso-zeaxanthin, from lutein.
In the Caltide food library, dandelion greens: 13,610 µg of lutein and zeaxanthin per 100 g. Cress (12,500 µg) and Turnip greens (11,879 µg) come next.
Because they are isomers, the same atoms in a slightly different arrangement, and many lab methods used for food tables do not separate them. USDA FoodData Central reports them as one figure.
No. Neither the EU nor the US sets a daily amount for lutein or zeaxanthin, because the body does not need them to prevent a deficiency disease.
Not on their own. In the AREDS2 trial, 10 mg of lutein and 2 mg of zeaxanthin were part of a formula with vitamins C and E, zinc and copper that lowers the chance of intermediate age-related macular degeneration becoming advanced. Adding them did not lower risk further overall, but they safely replaced beta-carotene.
A modest one. A boiled egg has 353 µg per 100 g in the Caltide food library, far less than spinach, but the yolk carries it with fat, which carotenoids need to be absorbed.
Mostly from marigold flowers (Tagetes erecta), sold either as free lutein or as lutein esters bound to fatty acids.
Yes, at the amounts studied. EFSA set an acceptable daily intake of 1 mg of lutein per kg of body weight, about 70 mg for a 70 kg adult. High intakes can tint the skin yellow, as with other carotenoids.
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