Macushield Research Article

Thanks go to www.edinburgh-eyetests.co.uk for the following article:

MACUSHIELD™ with Meso-Z is a new patented supplement containing Meso-Zeaxanthin (Meso-Z)
for eye health researched and discovered by Dr. Richard Bone and Dr. John Landrum,
professors of the Departments of Physics and Biochemistry respectively, at Florida
International University.

Bone and Landrum have been investigating the macular pigment and its involvement with the
disease Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) for over two decades. Bone and Landrum
have demonstrated that the macular pigment is composed of the three carotenoids; Lutein
(L), Zeaxanthin (Z), and Meso-Zeaxanthin (Meso-Z). These carotenoids protect the macula
because of their antioxidant and blue light filtering properties.

In 2004 the LAST Study (Lutein Antioxidant Supplementation Trial) showed that 10mg of L
taken orally augmented macula pigment and improved the vision of patients with macular
degeneration. However, research in 2006 indicates that Meso-Z may be more important than
L in protecting against macular degeneration. Bone and Landrum conducted autopsy research
on donor eyes with AMD and found Meso-Z to be the most depleted of the three macular
carotenoids in patients with AMD.

Meso-Z is found only in the central macula where it is the dominant carotenoid of the
three. It is the most powerful antioxidant and facilitates a wider range of blue light
filtration. Meso-Z is anatomically closer to macula photoreceptors than either L or Z and
is therefore ideally located to protect against free radical damage.

Unlike L which is present in spinach and other green vegetables, and Z which is the
yellow pigment found in corn, Meso-Z is not found in a typical diet. Meso-Z is generated
in most people’s bodies from L but it has been suggested that some individuals may lack
the converting enzyme.

Scientific research, ongoing at the Macular Pigment Research Centre, in Waterford,
Ireland, the largest research centre in Europe, shows that people taking a supplement of
Meso-Z have re-pigmented by up to 40% in 140 days. To watch the fascinating story of two
success stories using MACUSHIELD - watch the video.