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Supplement · Grade A

Lutein and medications.

Not yet catalogued in the Distil interactions database. We surface that distinction explicitly.

Lutein is in the Distil supplement database, evidence Grade A. The page below lists every medication we have explicitly assessed it against.

Lutein is a carotenoid pigment, usually paired with zeaxanthin, that concentrates in the macula at the back of the eye. There it filters blue light and acts as an antioxidant inside the retina, which is the basis for its use in eye health. The evidence is Grade A for that purpose: the AREDS2 trial and a meta-analysis by Ma support lutein and zeaxanthin in age-related macular degeneration. The honest limit is that it is preventative, not curative, so it matters most when started early, particularly if there is a family history of macular degeneration, heavy screen use, or smoking. The usual dose is 10 to 20mg lutein with 2mg zeaxanthin, the AREDS2 ratio. There are no significant drug interactions. Because it is fat-soluble, it absorbs better taken with fat-soluble vitamins or a meal containing fat. At very high doses the skin can turn slightly yellow, which is harmless and reverses on stopping.

We have not yet completed an explicit assessment of medications for Lutein in the Distil interactions database. We surface this distinction deliberately: the Distil checker tells you when we have explicitly assessed a pair and when we have not, because both are useful information. If you take Lutein alongside a medication, the checker below will surface anything already in our database, and the missing-item form at the bottom of the page routes uncatalogued pairs into our next curation pass.

What this list does not say. Pairs not flagged here are not implicitly safe. They are either not yet in our database, or fall outside our inclusion scope. Use the checker below to surface any medication, and submit a missing item if you take something we have not catalogued.

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For adults over 18. This tool gives evidence-graded information, not medical advice. Always discuss changes with your GP, especially if you take any medication, are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have a serious health condition.
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How we decide

How we grade severity, choose what's in scope, and what we exclude.

Every call on this page is reasoned. We publish the full rubric for severity tiers, the medication inclusion logic, the evidence grades we accept, and what we deliberately leave out. About three thousand words. Worth reading once if you use this tool more than occasionally.

Read the full methodology
Your whole stack

Want this checked across everything you take?

This page checks the pairs you enter. The personalised Distil report goes further:

  • the same graded, cited interaction check across your whole stack, not just the pairs you thought to type in
  • where your current routine may be leaving you short of your goals
  • the evidence-backed compounds worth adding, and the ones worth dropping

It's a paid report: £79, or £49 for the first 25 customers. The interactions check is one section of it, and you can read a real one in full before you buy.

See a real sample report
Distil's interactions database is reviewed and updated every quarter. We grade evidence transparently and publish our methodology, including every database change, at /about/methodology. This tool is information, not a substitute for clinical judgement. If you take medication and supplements together, your GP or pharmacist can review your full regimen against your medical history. If you want a full personalised stack reasoned against this same database, the Distil report is the next step up.