Lutein and ZeaxanthinResearch Report

Supports your visual skills *1!

Rohto Pharmaceutical has been conducting research focusing on the ability to see.
One of the elements that supports our ability to see is the retina, located at the back of the eye, and we focused on lutein and zeaxanthin, which act on the retina and support our ability to see *1.

*1: Refers to contrast sensitivity.

The retina is like a screen that projects images. Of all the parts of the retina, the most important is a region called the "macula."
Zeaxanthin is abundant in the center of the macula, surrounded by a large amount of lutein. Lutein and zeaxanthin are yellow substances called macular pigments that protect the retina from light stimuli entering the eye.

Lutein and zeaxanthin decrease with age.

Lutein and zeaxanthin, which are important for protecting the eyes and maintaining vision *1, are difficult to obtain in sufficient quantities through a normal diet.
It is a component that the body cannot produce on its own, and it has been reported that its levels decrease with age.

Source: Obana et al. ARVO 2005 Annual Meeting, Program 1572

Lutein and zeaxanthin levels decrease with age.

For example, to consume 10mg of lutein per day, you would need approximately two heads of broccoli, each weighing 300g. *2
It is said that the average intake from food is only 1.52 mg *3, so it is difficult to consciously get enough from food.
It is recommended to take Rohto V5a for efficient intake.

*2: Source: From AR Mangels, JMHolden, GRBeecher, MRForman, E.Lanza, 1993, Journal of the American dietetic Assoc.Vol.93:284-296
New Visual Food Composition Table with Food Explanations, Revised Second Edition

*3: Source: Retina, 2015 Vol.35 pp. 820-826

10mg of lutein is equivalent to about 2 heads of broccoli (300g each).

Age and the ability to see clearly *1

When macular pigments such as lutein and zeaxanthin decrease, the retina becomes less sensitive to light, reducing its ability to see clearly *1, causing things to appear blurry.

Differences in appearance due to differences in contrast sensitivity

This ability to see clearly *1 is known to decline with age.

Source: OPTOMETRY AND VISION SCIENCE, Vol 76, No.3, March 1999

*1: Refers to contrast sensitivity.

Rohto Pharmaceutical's eye supplement, Rohto V5a

The effects of lutein and zeaxanthin

Improvement of the ability to see clearly *1

Ingesting lutein and zeaxanthin significantly improves the ability to see clearly. *1

Participants: 109 healthy men and women
Source: Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2014 Dec 2;55(12):8583-9. Figure created from original data (presented as an example from a paper included in the research review).

*1: Refers to contrast sensitivity.

The effects of lutein and zeaxanthin - Part 1

Protect your eyes from light stimuli

Ingesting lutein and zeaxanthin increases macular pigment and protects the retina from light stimuli.

Participants: 109 healthy men and women
Source: Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2014 Dec 2;55(12):8583-9 (Presented as an example from papers included in the research review)

The effects of lutein and zeaxanthin - Part 2

Furthermore, consuming lutein and zeaxanthin can accelerate recovery from light stress on the eyes.

The effects of lutein and zeaxanthin - Part 3

Protect your eyes from blue light

Blue light has a short wavelength and is more likely to cause cell damage.
Lutein and zeaxanthin, when present in the retina, absorb blue light and protect the eyes from light stimulation.

The dedication to V5 packed into every single bean

golden ratio

We carefully formulated this product with a 5:1 ratio of lutein and zeaxanthin, which has been proven to have the effects described above.

Source: Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2014 Dec 2;55(12):8583-9

Uses lutein with high absorption rate in the body.

Lutein exists in both free and ester forms. The free form is known to have a higher absorption rate in the body than the ester form.

Rohto V5a uses 100% free-form lutein, which is highly absorbable into the body: Flora GLO*4.

Source: Journal of the American College of Nutrition (2010) : Serum Lutein Response Is Greater from Free Lutein Than from Esterified Lutein during 4 weeks of Supplementation in Healthy Adults

*4: FloraGLO is a registered trademark of Kemin Industries, Ltd.

Uses lutein with high absorption rate in the body.

Rohto's proprietary technology: Fresh Keep Capsule™

We employ a capsule technology that easily maintains the stability of water-soluble ingredients. (Patent pending)

Because vitamin B12 is easily soluble in water, it has been difficult to maintain its stability in conventional soft capsules.
Rohto's proprietary technology: By using Fresh Keep Capsules™, we can now consistently and generously incorporate the product into our formula.
While lutein and zeaxanthin are certainly the functional ingredients, Rohto also pays close attention to other ingredients in its formulation development.