Note: This advice is given by the CAP Executive about non-broadcast advertising. It does not constitute legal advice. It does not bind CAP, CAP advisory panels or the Advertising Standards Authority.
Although the ASA has not formally investigated the efficacy of Lutein, the Copy Advice team believes that some, albeit limited, claims for it are likely to be acceptable.
Some experts believe that eating a nutritionally balanced diet can help maintain healthy eyes. But a systematic review and meta-analysis in 2008 concluded that “evidence does not support the use of antioxidant supplements to prevent Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)”. The reviewed studies investigated supplements that contained vitamin E alone or vitamin E combined with beta carotene, not lutein. The only study we are aware of that investigates the long-term use of a supplement containing lutein in the prevention of AMD is the AREDS II study but the results are not expected until about 2013.
We understand that some indirect research evidence suggests consuming supplements that contain lutein could prevent the development of AMD. Lutein is absorbed by the body and transported in the blood to the eye, especially the retina, where it is concentrated in the macula, the most visually sensitive and active part of the retina. Some studies suggest that people with low levels of lutein in the macular are more likely to develop AMD than people with high levels of lutein; in other words, a low level of macular lutein is a risk factor for AMD. And several other research studies have shown that by consuming supplements that contain lutein, the concentration of lutein in the macular can be increased.
AMD is a serious medical condition for which diagnosis or treatment should be conducted under suitably qualified medical supervision (Rule 12.2). Although those who are not suitably qualified are unlikely to be able to refer to AMD in their marketing, advertisers may claim that products containing enough lutein might help maintain healthy eyes.
See ‘Antioxidants’.
Last modified : 26 July 2010