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Nutri-MZ™ Is A Blend Of Three Essential Carotenoids, Extracted From The Mexican Marigold Flower (Tagetes Erecta) Using A Patented Process.

Patented Natural Carotenoid Formulations

Nutri-Mz™ is a blend of three carotenoids which are extracted from the Mexican marigold flower (Tagetes Erecta) using a patented process. This expert carotenoid blend is supplied in bespoke formulations as nutraceutical ingredients for the production of food supplement capsules to benefit human eye health. These nutritional food supplement capsules with Nutri-Mz™ provide consumers with a far greater concentration of Lutein, Mezo-Zeaxanthin and Zeaxanthin than is otherwise available from even the healthiest food-based diets.

Nutri-Mz™ carotenoid formulations are unique in that they have been developed and researched extensively over a longer period of time and more thoroughly than any other carotenoid formulation available. These research studies conducted by the Nutrition Research Centre Ireland at the Waterford Institute of Technology have shown Nutri-Mz™ to be safe and effective in providing the nutrients needed for optimum macular health.

In recent years, studies have shown that the addition of meso-zeaxanthin to formulations used to increase MP and enhance visual function in diseased and non-diseased retinas has proven very effective. Indeed, six head-to-head trials have shown that a formulation containing all three macular carotenoids in a meso-zeaxanthin:lutein:zeaxanthin (mg) specific ratio is superior to alternative formulations, in terms of visual improvements and in terms of observed increases in MP (the precise aim of supplementation).

The first study to evaluate the effects of a dietary supplement containing predominantly meso-zeaxanthin was conducted in a Miami Florida research laboratory by Professors Bone and Landrum. This research confirmed that meso-zeaxanthin was effectively absorbed into the serum, and MP density was increased significantly in the supplementation group. No such increases were observed in the placebo group. In another study done in Northern Ireland, 19 subjects consumed a supplement also composed of all three macular carotenoids, including meso-zeaxanthin over a period of 22 days. Results demonstrated that meso-zeaxanthin was absorbed. At the Institute of Vision Research, Waterford Institute of Technology, the Meso-zeaxanthin Ocular Supplementation Trials (MOST), have been conducted to evaluate safety, MP response and serum carotenoid response in subjects with and without AMD, following consumption of a supplement containing all three macular carotenoids in which meso-zeaxanthin was predominant. These studies confirmed safety for human consumption of the macular carotenoids following many biological tests to assess renal and liver function, lipid profile, hematologic profile, and markers of inflammation. The MOST trials identified statistically significant increases in serum concentrations of meso-zeaxanthin and lutein from baseline. Significant increases in central MP levels were also observed after just two weeks of supplementation. Furthermore, in patients who had an atypical MP distribution in the eye (i.e. they did not have the high concentration of pigment in the center of the macula), when supplemented with a meso-zeaxanthin dominant supplement for 8 weeks, the more normal pigment profile was re-instated, whereas this was not the case when supplemented with a formulation lacking meso-zeaxanthin. Two major clinical trials were published in the international journal, Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (IOVS). These studies were funded by the European Research Council (Ref: 281096). The first trial, the CREST (Central Retinal Enrichment Supplementation Trials) normal study involved 105 volunteers who underwent a series of complex tests of vision and were supplemented over a 12-month period. Of the 105 subjects, 53 received daily active supplements containing meso-zeaxanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin, while 52 subjects received a placebo (the control group). The outcome unequivocally demonstrates that those receiving macular carotenoids – lutein, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin – enjoyed meaningful benefits to their visual function. The improvement recorded was primarily in people’s contrast sensitivity – how much contrast a person needs to see a target (i.e. how faint an object can you see).This work demonstrates important implications for those who rely on their vision for professional reasons, such as high-performance sportspeople (most obviously golfers, cricketers, tennis and baseball players), motorists, train drivers, pilots, and police.

The second trial, CREST AMD was a major two-year trial involving over 100 people diagnosed with the early stages of AMD, and has shown an improvement in the vision of those taking a dietary supplement of carotenoids. Those living with AMD would usually have been expected to experience a continued deterioration in their vision over the two years of the clinical trial. Instead, those receiving carotenoids showed a significant improvement across 24 out of 32 tests of vision. 35% of trial participants had what is deemed to be a clinically meaningful improvement in their vision after 24 months, but only in the active supplement containing meso-zeaxanthin. Improvements in vision were particularly marked among those receiving all three carotenoids compared to those receiving only zeaxanthin and lutein. The research was conducted by a team from the Nutrition Research Centre Ireland (NRCI) at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT).

Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2) reported a reduced risk of visual loss and a reduced risk of disease progression in patients with non-advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD, the leading cause of blindness in the Western World; Taylor and Keeffe, 2001) who were supplemented with a formulation containing the macular carotenoids and co-antioxidants (The Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2) Research Group, 2013, 2014). Unfortunately, the AREDS2 preparation only contained two of macular pigment’s three carotenoids (lutein and 3R,3´R-zeaxanthin), and did not include meso-zeaxanthin, which is the dominant carotenoid at the very centre of the macula, and the presence of which is essential for maximum collective antioxidant effect.

Safety studies regarding on a meso-zeaxanthin prepared from the marigold flower and published by independent research companies, read further details by clicking on these links: (another drop down?)

Additional Studies:

  1. Akuffo, K.O., et al., Sustained supplementation and monitored response with differing carotenoid formulations in early age-related macular degeneration. Eye (London), 2015.
  2. Loughman, J., et al., The impact of macular pigment augmentation on visual performance using different carotenoid formulations. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, 2012.
  3. Meagher, Katherine A., et al., Serum response to supplemental macular carotenoids in subjects with and without age-related macular degeneration. The British Journal of Nutrition, 2012
  4. Nolan, J.M., et al., Macular carotenoid supplementation in subjects with atypical spatial profiles of macular pigment. Experimental Eye Research, 2012.
  5. Sabour-Pickett, S. et al., Supplementation with three different macular carotenoid formulations in patients with early age-related macular degeneration. Retina, 2014.
  6. Beatty, Stephen, et. al., Macular response to supplementation with differing xanthophyll formulations in subjects with and without age-related macular degeneration. Graefe’s Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology, 2015

2018: New findings demonstrated a memory-enhancing effect for daily supplementation with L, MZ, Z in healthy subjects with low MP, with possible implications for intellectual performance and executive function over lifespan.

  1. Power, R., et al., Supplemental Retinal Carotenoids Enhance Memory in Healthy Individuals with Low Levels of Macular Pigment in a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 2018.

2018: This emerging research, including the carotenoids, L, MZ, Z  shows a positive relationship with the MP levels and brain tissues.  These are important implications for health and compromised individuals

  1. Howard, A.N., et. al., Nutritional Intervention to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease: Potential Benefits of Xanthophyll Carotenoids and Omega-3 Fatty Acids Combined. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. June 2018.

2020: Omega 3 fatty acids, carotenoids and vitamin E are nutrients present in brain tissue. To date, no interventional studies have examined the potential synergistic effects of a combination of w-3FAs, carotenoids  (L , MZ, Z) and vitamin E.

  1. Coen, R. et. al., Targeted Nutritional Intervention for Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment: The Cognitive impAiRmEnt Study (CARES) Trial 1. May 2020.

A Mark of Premium Quality

When you see the Nutri-Mz™ logo on a product you can trust that the product contains superior quality carotenoid ingredients that have been rigorously tested for safety and efficacy for over a decade. Nutri-Mz™ ingredients are GRAS-registered by the United States Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) meaning that they have been confirmed as safe for public consumption, as have equivalent regulatory bodies across North America, Europe and beyond.

Our Nutri-Mz™ trademark is registered in North America and Europe with further applications world wide. We also have patents or patent applications which are based on improved visual and cognitive performance, and protection against cognitive decline.

Nutri-Mz™

Nutri-Mz™ is your route to safe consumption of macular carotenoids. All products with Nutri-Mz™ contain adequate and effective levels of macular carotenoid nutrition as adjudged by the Research Team. All commercial distributors, whilst directly benefitting from the research, are required to comply with their scientific ethics in addition to local regulatory requirements.