engleski

MEASUREMENT OF LUTEIN CONCENTRATION IN SERUM OF YOUNG HEALTHY SUBJECT

Introduction: Recent scientific evidence confirms the hypothesis that certain foods or their ingredients have a positive physiological effects on an individual's health. [1, 2]. Functional food is a food that contains components with beneficial effects on one or more body functions, beyond their nutritive values, and improves general condition and health of person or significantly reduces the risk of disease [3]. Materials and Methods: Randomized, double-blind, controlled, interventional study was conducted in healthy young subjects (N=34) who consumed 3 hen eggs per day for 3 weeks. Nutri4 group consumed enriched hen eggs: consumed approximately 3.29 mg of vitamin E, 1.85 mg of lutein, 0.06 mg of selenium and 1026 mg of n-3 PUFAs daily, and control subjects consumed ordinary (approximately 1.785 mg of vitamin E, 0.330 mg of lutein, 0.054 mg of selenium and 438 mg of n-3 PUFAs daily) hen eggs, from the same farm. Serum lutein concentration was determined according the method of Tzeng MS, et al., by HPLC [4]. Results and Discussion: Consumption of Nutri4 eggs caused a significant increase in serum lutein concentration (before 0.153±0.073 µmol/L ; after 0.232±0.078 µmol/L*), while no significant difference was found in the control group (before 0.199±0.104 µmol/L ; after 0.199±0.202 µmol/L) or between groups. Increased intake of essential carotenoid such as lutein can have various beneficial effects on the body, due to increased serum concertation. Conclusions: Consumption of Nutri4 enriched eggs affects the serum levels of lutein in healthy young people.

Lutein, health, serum, functional food

Funding and financial support: This study was supported by European Structural and Investment Funds, grant for the Croatian National Scientific Center of Excellence for Personalized Health Care, University Josip Juraj Strossmayer Osijek #KK.01.1.1.01.0010.