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Did your mother always tell you to eat your vegetables? Well it turns out that mom was right again! A new study indicates that lutein, a yellow pigment found in dark green leafy vegetables and egg yolks may help to prevent clogging of the arteries also known as atherosclerosis. Lutein is in a class of nutrients called carotenoids along with the better known beta-carotene. Scientists have already found evidence that lutein supplementation may prevent macular degeneration, the most common cause of irreversible blindness in the elderly.

This new study was reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, June 19, 2001 . The researchers studied the impact of lutein on atherosclerosis in carotid (neck) arteries. Carotid artery thickness is widely considered to be an indication of atherosclerosis throughout the body. Atherosclerosis is the disease process that leads to most heart attacks and strokes. Artery walls become thickened with decreased blood flow to vital organs. Plaque deposits associated with high serum cholesterol cause this thickening of the arteries.

The study involved 480 men and women between the ages of 40 to 60 with no history of heart disease. The thickness of their carotid arteries and plasma levels of lutein were measured at baseline (start of study and again 18 months later. Those individuals in the group with the highest level of lutein in their blood had just a 0.004-millimeter (mm) increase in the thickness of their carotid arteries. Those who had the lowest blood levels of lutein in their blood showed the largest increase in their carotid artery thickness, an average of 0.021 mm.

During the study the researchers also examined at the inner layer wall lining of human carotid arteries removed during surgery. They found that artery layers pretreated with lutein were less likely to attract monocytes, or white blood cells, which oxidize low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the "bad" cholesterol. Oxidized LDL in the artery wall is a major cause of atherosclerosis. Higher lutein doses produced fewer interactions between LDL and monocytes.

In a related study, researchers found that mice given lutein supplementation had 43 percent smaller atherosclerotic lesions than mice that were not given lutein.

Overall these studies suggest that increasing the dietary intake of lutein may protect against the development of early atherosclerosis. Diets rich in fruits and vegetables have been associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. This study puts even more emphasis on the importance of such a diet and on the importance of dark green leafy vegetables. Additionally this study also supports recent studies that show that eggs are not to be avoided in the diet as once was thought.

Vegetables that should be emphasized in the diet include spinach, kale and turnip greens. The recommended amount of lutein needed in the diet is about 6 milligrams daily or the amount you would get in a large bowl of spinach salad. There are many ways to enjoy these healthy and nutritious vegetables. Do it for the good of your heart.