Aor - vision support ii - 60 sgels

Vision Support II

Vision Support II is a combination of the most advanced nutrients clinically demonstrated to help support eye health and fight age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AOR’s Vision Support II provides lutein, zeaxanthin, astaxanthin, benfotiamine and black soybean hull extract in an olive oil suspension to enhance the effectiveness of certain ingredients. The effectiveness of Vision Support II can be maximized with a complete, high-quality multivitamin/mineral formulation.

Who should use Vision Support II?

Our vision - its immeasurable value is matched only by our propensity to take it for granted. This is the kind of double-standard that is at the root of all things that are impossible to appreciate until they are gone. The World Health Organization has some sobering statistics for us: every legally blind individual requires two able-bodied ones to look after him or her; macular degeneration (MD), by far the leading root cause of blindness in North America, affects the majority of us in some form or another as we age. Its more dire manifestation of Advanced Macular Degeneration (AMD) can indeed lead to blindness, and in only 10% of those instances can vision be saved. Other threats to vision (ocular) health include cataract formation, asthenopia (eye fatigue) and glycation.

One would be hard-pressed to find a more appropriate application for the old adage "an ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure" than in preventative vision health. Indeed, the simplicity of such nutrients as manganese, grape seed, and vitamin C are in sharp contrast to their contributions to ocular health. However, if an ounce of prevention is indeed worth a ton of cure, then how much cure is a pound of prevention worth? Of course it is always possible to have simply too much of a good thing, but this can be avoided through the discovery (and application) of a different kind of good thing. Pertaining to our vision, this can be interpreted as looking far beyond ordinary vitamins and minerals.

Astaxanthin: This maritime carotenoid has distinguished itself in recent years in a number of roles, one of which is asthenopia. This increasingly common condition is often caused by overexposure to visual display terminals (VDT's), and human studies have shown that astaxanthin can alleviate asthenopia symptoms (such as eye strain, redness, and blurred vision) by 54%. Scientists believe the mechanism of action for these benefits is based on the increased ciliary body accommodation, increased retinal blood flow, and anti-inflammatory properties associated with astaxanthin supplementation. The ciliary body is composed primarily of an ocular muscle that stretches across the vitrous humour between the lens and the pupil. Accomodation refers to the ability of the ciliary body to manipulate the thickness of the lens in order to focus light on the retina. If the eye is required to focus on a fixed object for extended periods of time, muscle spasms and other signs of fatigue may occur. Factors such as the speed at which the ciliary body reacts to a change in visual focus are used to evaluate improvements (if any) in the accommodation response. Two clinical studies conducted in 2005 determined that the speed of the ciliary body's reactions in the astaxanthin group were approximately 46% faster than those in the placebo group. This means that those taking astaxanthin were able to spot moving objects that much faster than those who were not. Furthermore, another placebo-controlled clinical study determined that astaxanthin can increase retinal blood flow by approximately 11% while yet another study (with laboratory rats) found that astaxanthin can reduce ciliary cell inflammation by nearly 80%.

Black Soybean Hull Extract: Asthenopia can arguably be considered part of the information age since it is so closely associated with overexposure to visual display terminals (VDTs). Nowhere is this reality more acute than in Japan, home of the most automated economy in the world. It seems fitting, therefore, that so many of the latest clinical studies dealing with Asthenopia originate there. The aforementioned astaxanthin clinical studies are one example, and those concerning black soybean hull extract are another. One such study in 2004 demonstrated black soybean hull extract ‘significantly' improved the symptoms of Asthenopia among 32 healthy adults who regularly engage in VDT work. Black soybean hull extract is another example of ‘pushing the envelope' to develop the most advanced ocular health nutraceuticals possible.

Benfotiamine: Very simply put, glycation is the bonding of sugar molecules to proteins or lipids in the body without the mediating action of an enzyme or coenzyme, and is a natural part of the aging process. The end result is the formation of Advanced Glycation Endproducts (AGEs) - stiff tissue that can affect any cell in the body. The cells of the retina are particularly vulnerable, because when blood sugar levels rise, some key cells high in metabolic activity (such as the retina cells and the filtering cells [glomeruli] of the kidney) are flooded with glucose. Thiamin pyrophosphate (TPP) is the active coenzyme form of thiamin, and maintaining high TPP levels will cause an enzymatic reaction that alleviates the effects of this glucose backlog, thus inhibiting the formation of AGEs. Benfotiamine is a lipid-soluble version of thiamin that is at least 5 times more bioavailable than regular thiamin supplements, and is the most efficient method known for effectively raising TPP levels.

Lutein and Zeaxanthin: This ‘dynamic duo' of ocular health is by no means new. In nature, these are pigments that give vegetables such as corn and spinach their color, but in the human body, these are fat-soluble carotenoids (structurally similar to vitamin A) that are found primarily in the retina. This fact has always served to define their antioxidant capacities specifically within the realm of ocular health, with clinical and observational studies demonstrating their effectiveness in dealing with the symptoms of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and cataract formation. AMD refers to the age-related deterioration of the central part of the retina (namely the macula), which is adjacent to the optic nerve and contains the fovea, which is at the center of the macula and is responsible for detailed central vision. Like glycation, AMD is a normal part of the aging process and can vary greatly in degrees of severity. Prevention is key of course, and the latest clinical studies using lutein and zeaxanthin have taken an unmistakable trend: the dosages have been increasing and more emphasis has been made on absorption. Indeed, one very encouraging study used 30 mg daily of both lutein and zeaxanthin (in a base of canola oil) to raise macular pigment optical density(OD) in healthy human subjects by as much as 40% in a dose-dependent manner.

Amount

7.5 mgLutein
7.5 mgZeaxanthin
80 mgBenfotiamine
2 mgAstaxanthin
60 mgBlack Soybean Hull Extract (10% Cyanidin-3-Glucosides)

Non-medicinal ingredients: Extra virgin olive oil, medium chain triglycerides, corn oil, mixed tocopherol concentrate.

Softgel: caramel, gelatin, glycerin.