Conclusion: Moderate-certainty evidence suggests that antioxidant vitamin and mineral supplementation (AREDS: vitamin C, E, beta-carotene, and zinc) probably slows down progression to late AMD. People with intermediate AMD have a higher chance of benefiting from antioxidant supplements because their risk of progression is higher than people with early AMD. Although low-certainty evidence suggested little effect with lutein/zeaxanthin alone compared with placebo, exploratory subgroup analyses from one large American study support the view that lutein/zeaxanthin may be a suitable replacement for the beta-ca
PubMed 37702300 ↗Zeaxanthin
Based on 5 first-hand reports and 61 meta-analyses & systematic reviews in the medical literature. Ranked #1499 of 1,974 overall.
Of reports that state an outcome, 0% are positive.
What Zeaxanthin does, according to users
Of the people who reported each effect, the share who said it got better.
What the research says
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses from PubMed, with their published conclusions.
3+ meta-analyses or systematic reviews and 10+ randomized controlled trials in humans. The grade measures how much human research exists — read the conclusions below for what it found.
Conclusion: Of six major members of carotenoids, only lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations in plasma/serum were inversely related to the risk of AD. More high-quality longitudinal studies are needed to verify these findings.
PubMed 34151808 ↗Conclusion: Circulating carotene levels had no significant association with any fracture risk, the pooled OR (95% CI) was 0.83 (0.59, 1.17). Based on the evidence from observational studies, our meta-analysis supported the hypothesis that higher dietary total carotenoids or β-carotene intake might be potentially associated with a low risk of hip fracture, however, future well-designed prospective cohort studies and randomized controlled trials are warranted to specify the associations between carotenoids and fracture.
PubMed 27911854 ↗Conclusion: Data published to date are insufficient for drawing definite conclusions about the epidemiological evidence on the association between blood levels or dietary intakes of vitamin A and carotenoids and the risk of PD. Results should be interpreted particularly cautiously given the limitation of the present meta-analysis and the potential publication bias. Authors are urged to follow more closely the recommendations for reporting epidemiological studies in order to enhance the capacity for synthesising the evidence.
PubMed 24356061 ↗Dosage people report
As stated by users — not a recommendation. Follow the label or your doctor.
Reported side effects
How often each side effect came up across all reports.
What users say
Verbatim quotes, shortened only — each links to the original discussion.
“Lutein/zeaxanthin”
“Zeaxanthin: 20mg Lutein, 4mg Zeaxanthin (3x a week)”
“Astaxanthin, glycine, zeaxanthin, lutein, ergothioneine, q10 or derivatives”
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User data from public discussions; research from PubMed. Information only, not medical advice — talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. Data updated October 2, 2026. How we rate