nutrition bytes by aryn doll and shelby miller maternal intakes of lutein and zeaxanthin behavioral and emotional control in mid-childhood the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin are known to support healthy brain research has found it may be equally important for supporting brain health study published by researchers at tufts university and harvard university revealed a link between higher maternal intakes of lutein and zeaxanthin during pregnancy and improved cognitive function in their offspring the researchers assessed the dietary intake of lutein and zeaxanthin in more than 1,500 expecting mothers during their first and second trimesters tests were carried out during early and mid-childhood to determine the lutein and zeaxanthin during pregnancy improved cognitive function in offspring from the mother are actively transported to the infant via the umbilical cord and placenta and have been found to be the most abundant and zeaxanthin are also found in the just how important these carotenoids preferentially accumulate in the brain where they have antioxidant and anti- inflammatory properties and support communication between brain cells impact of maternal lutein levels on researchers found that those children whose mothers had the greatest intake of lutein and zeaxanthin during pregnancy had greater beetroot juice boosts bacteria that promote healthy aging beetroot is a rich source of species of oral bacteria turn an important role in the health of our blood vessels and how certain brain chemicals function new research shows that drinking beetroot juice can promote healthier blood vessels and brain function by promoting a healthy balance of bacteria in the mouth helping to shed light on the role that a healthy oral microbiome plays in overall health participated in two 10-day study periods in which they drank a nitrate-rich beetroot juice twice daily for one period and a nitrate-free placebo juice for the bacteria linked with vascular and cognitive health and decreased bacteria associated with disease and pressure in the beetroot juice-supplemented group natural grocers | 39
