Plasma Beta-carotene Research Articles

β-Carotene Supplementation Increases Antioxidant Capacity of Plasma in Older Women , ,

The antioxidant effect of dietary beta-carotene supplementation on the peroxidation potential of plasma was investigated in a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Twelve healthy women (62-80 y) supplemented their usual daily diet with 90 mg of beta-carotene (n = 6) or placebo (n = 6) capsules for 3 wk. Plasma concentrations of beta-carotene, alpha- and gamma-tocopherol, ascorbate, urate, bilirubin and in vitro production of phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxides (PC-OOH) and utilization of plasma antioxidants in the presence of 50 mmol/L 2,2'-azobis (2-aminopropane) hydrochloride (AAPH), a free radical generator, at 37 degrees C were measured before and after dietary treatment. Plasma beta-carotene increased from 0.76 +/- 0.16 to 6.45 +/- 1.16 micromol/L (P < 0.05) in supplemented but not placebo-treated subjects. The plasma concentrations of other antioxidants did not change significantly in either group. beta-Carotene supplementation did not affect basal levels of plasma PC-OOH as measured by HPLC post-column chemiluminescence but did affect AAPH-induced production of PC-OOH. Before supplementation, the induction period of plasma PC-OOH production was 2.4 +/- 0.4 h, with levels reaching 5.39 +/- 1.50 micromol/L after 6 h of incubation. After supplementation, the induction period increased significantly to 4.2 +/- 0.4 h (P < 0.01), with a lower PC-OOH production of 2.16 +/- 0.90 micromol/L after 6 h (P < 0.05). In this system, plasma ascorbate concentrations were depleted first, followed by loss of bilirubin and alpha-tocopherol and then by the sequential loss of gamma-tocopherol, urate and beta-carotene. These results indicate that beta-carotene supplementation increases the plasma antioxidant capacity of older women.

​Effect of Beta-carotene Supplementation on Plasma Carotene Content and Fertility of Lactating Crossbred Sahiwal Cows

Background: Beta-carotene (BETA) is a precursor of retinol (Vitamin A) and positively influenced on reproductive efficiency in cows. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of orally supplementation of beta-carotene on plasma carotene content and fertility rate of lactating crossbred Sahiwal cows. Methods: Twenty-four disease-free lactating crossbred Sahiwal cows with a close date of calving were randomly divided into two homogeneous groups for Control group (CONT; n = 12) and Beta-carotene group: 500 mg/cow/d (BETA; n = 12) from 7 days post partum (dpp) until 105 dpp thereafter on concentrations of beta-carotene and selected protein and energy parameters in plasma were determined. In addition, effects on fertility rate were studied. Result: Beta-carotene concentrations increased in plasma of beta-carotene (BETA-group) supplemented cows compared to control (CONT-group) cows (p less than 0.001). In BETA-group cows, urea concentration in blood plasma decreased significantly compared to cows of CONT-group (p less than 0.001) but did not differ in total protein, albumin, glucose and total cholesterol content in cows of both groups. Occurrence of first post partum estrus decreased (p less than 0.001) in beta-carotene (BETA-group: 74 dpp) cows compared to control (CONT-group: 81 dpp) cows. In this study, it was observed that the overall conception rate was higher (p greater than 0.001) in BETA-group: 83.33% (cows pregnant: 10/12) and lesser in the CONT-group: 50.00% (cows pregnant: 6/12). The results of this study indicated that oral supplementation with beta-carotene increased the concentration of beta-carotene and decreased the concentration of urea in plasma and cows with higher blood plasma beta-carotene content improved fertility over cows with lower blood plasma beta-carotene content.

Once-Daily Low Inflammatory Foods Everyday (LIFE) Smoothie or the Full LIFE Diet Lowers C-Reactive Protein and Raises Plasma Beta-Carotene in 7 Days.

Serum C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of systemic inflammation, is associated with increased risk for numerous inflammation-driven chronic diseases. A prior longitudinal study showed that the Low Inflammatory Foods Everyday (LIFE) diet, which is rich in dark green leafy vegetables (DGLV), lowered CRP over a mean follow-up period of 6 months. In this retrospective study, we investigate whether patients who consume the LIFE diet or their regular diet plus one component of the LIFE diet (LIFE smoothie), experience reductions in high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) in 7 days. Sixteen patients in a community practice met inclusion criteria. Patient compliance was assessed by patient interviews and measurements of beta-carotene, which is abundant in DGLV. Following the interventions, CRP decreased in both the LIFE diet (-0.47 mg/L, P = .02) and smoothie groups (-1.2 mg/L, P = .04). No statistically significant difference in reduction was observed between groups (P = .18). Plasma beta-carotene increased in both groups (+23.2, P = .02; +20.6, P = .006, respectively). These findings suggest that the LIFE diet or a regular American diet supplemented with the LIFE smoothie may quickly reduce systemic inflammation and the risk of many chronic diseases.

Influence of specific management practices on blood selenium, vitamin E, and beta‐carotene concentrations in horses and risk of nutritional deficiency

BackgroundSelenium or alpha‐tocopherol deficiency can cause neuromuscular disease. Beta‐carotene has limited documentation in horses.ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of owner practices on plasma beta‐carotene concentration and risk of selenium and alpha‐tocopherol deficiencies.AnimalsThree‐hundred and forty‐nine adult (≥1 year), university and privately owned horses and mules.MethodsCross‐sectional study. Whole blood selenium, plasma alpha‐tocopherol, and plasma beta‐carotene concentrations were measured once. Estimates of daily selenium and vitamin E intake, pasture access, and exercise load were determined by owner questionnaire. Data were analyzed using t tests, Mann‐Whitney tests, parametric or nonparametric analysis of variance (ANOVA), Kruskal‐Wallis test, Spearman's correlation and contingency tables (P < .05).ResultsNearly 88% of the horses received supplemental selenium; 71.3% received ≥1 mg/d. Low blood selenium concentration (<80 ng/mL) was identified in 3.3% of horses, and 13.6% had marginal concentrations (80‐159 ng/mL). Non‐supplemented horses were much more likely to have low blood selenium (odds ratio [OR], 20.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 9.26‐42.7; P < .001). Supplemental vitamin E was provided to 87.3% of horses; 57.7% received ≥500 IU/d. Deficient (<1.5 μg/mL) and marginal (1.5‐2.0 μg/mL) plasma (alpha‐tocopherol) occurred in 15.4% and 19.9% of horses, respectively. Pasture access (>6 h/d) and daily provision of ≥500 IU of vitamin E was associated (P < .001) with higher plasma alpha‐tocopherol concentrations. Plasma beta‐carotene concentration was higher in horses with pasture access (0.26 ± 0.43 versus 0.12 ± 0.13 μg/mL, P = .003).Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceSuboptimal blood selenium and plasma alpha‐tocopherol concentrations occurred in 16.7% and 35.5% of horses, respectively, despite most owners providing supplementation. Inadequate pasture access was associated with alpha‐tocopherol deficiency, and reliance on selenium‐containing salt blocks was associated with selenium deficiency.

Rising Plasma Beta-Carotene Is Associated With Diminishing C-Reactive Protein in Patients Consuming a Dark Green Leafy Vegetable-Rich, Low Inflammatory Foods Everyday (LIFE) Diet.

Chronic inflammation contributes to a number of chronic diseases and can be assessed with C-reactive protein (CRP). In this longitudinal retrospective chart review, we investigate whether patients intensively counseled to eat a specific diet high in dark green leafy vegetables, and thus high beta-carotene, have reductions in plasma high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP). We term this the Low Inflammatory Foods Everyday (LIFE) diet. Forty-three patients in a community practice instructed to eat the LIFE diet met inclusion criteria. The CRP levels were measured at least twice over the course of up to a year. Adherence to the diet was objectively assessed by measurement of plasma beta-carotene, which is abundant in dark green leafy vegetables, and subjectively by serial interviews. The change in beta-carotene was inversely correlated with change in CRP (r = -0.68, P < .0001). Additionally, patients subjectively classified as adherent had higher beta-carotene (P < .0001) and lower CRP (P = .002) as compared with patients who were classified as nonadherent. These longitudinal findings suggest that adherence to the LIFE diet leads to increased beta-carotene and decreased CRP. Thus, this type of diet may reduce risk or severity of chronic diseases involving inflammation.

Association of concentrations of beta-carotene in plasma on pregnancy per artificial insemination and pregnancy loss in lactating Holstein cows

The objective of this study was to determine the association of beta-carotene concentration in plasma at the moment of artificial insemination (AI) on pregnancy/AI in lactating Holstein cows. A total of 399 events from 364 lactating Holstein cows were enrolled in the trial (143 primiparous and 221 multiparous). All cows were assigned to a timed AI protocol based on estradiol and progesterone. Blood samples were collected at the moment of AI and at 24 and 31d post-AI (samples on 31 d post-AI were collected only from cows that were diagnosed pregnant). The BCS were recorded at the time of AI. Plasma beta-carotene was quantified from blood samples taken at the time of AI using a single step denaturation and extraction into a solvent, followed by measurement using a portable spectrophotometer. Pregnancy-associated glycoproteins (PAG) were analyzed in blood samples taken at 24 and 31 d post-AI of pregnant cows. Milk production was collected for the entire experimental period. Pregnancy diagnosis was performed by ultrasound 31 and 60 d post-AI. Data was analyzed using the MIXED and GLIMMIX procedures of SAS. Cows classified as thin (<2.75) tended to have lower concentration of beta-carotene at AI when compared with those classified as Moderate (≥3.00; 3.8 ± 0.1 vs. 4.3 ± 0.1 μg/mL; P = 0.09). Concentration of beta-carotene were greater in multiparous compared with primiparous (P < 0.01). There was no correlation between concentration of beta-carotene and milk production (r = 0.04; P = 0.10). When plasma beta-carotene was categorized in quartiles, cows in the 1st quartile had lower pregnancy/AI and higher pregnancy losses when compared with cows that were in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quartile (pregnancy/AI = 19.2 ± 4.5, 33.7 ± 4.7, 36.9 ± 5.0 and 39.8 ± 5.4%, respectively; P = 0.05; pregnancy losses = 41.9 ± 4.8, 20.4 ± 3.7, 22.1 ± 4.1, and 15.7 ± 4.2%, respectively; P < 0.05). There was no association between concentrations of beta-carotene at AI and PAG at 24 d post-AI (P = 0.60). Cows with greater concentrations of beta-carotene at AI were more likely to have greater concentrations of PAG at 31 d post-AI (P < 0.01). In conclusion, the concentration of beta-carotene at AI was affected by BCS and parity. Cows with higher concentrations of plasma beta-carotene at AI had greater pregnancy/AI, lower pregnancy losses and greater concentrations of PAG at d 31 post-AI, suggesting it may be associated with placental function in lactating dairy cows.

Robust rank-based variable selection in double generalized linear models with diverging number of parameters under adaptive Lasso

ABSTRACTWe propose a robust rank-based estimation and variable selection in double generalized linear models when the number of parameters diverges with the sample size. The consistency of the variable selection procedure and asymptotic properties of the resulting estimators are established under appropriate selection of tuning parameters. Simulations are performed to assess the finite sample performance of the proposed estimation and variable selection procedure. In the presence of gross outliers, the proposed method is showing that the variable selection method works better. For practical application, a real data application is provided using nutritional epidemiology data, in which we explore the relationship between plasma beta-carotene levels and personal characteristics (e.g. age, gender, fat, etc.) as well as dietary factors (e.g. smoking status, intake of cholesterol, etc.).

BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF SELF-RATED HEALTH ASSOCIATIONS WITH BIOMARKERS

Self-rated health (SRH) is one of the most frequently used indicators in health research. It is easy to use and considered as a valid measure of health because of its robust association with mortality. This association can largely be explained by the fact that in SRH summarized many health factors such as disease, functioning, and symptoms. Yet the biological basis of SRH is poorly understood. We investigated the association of SRH with several biomarkers measured from blood and urine in a large population sample where disease and functioning could be taken into account. Data were from MARK- AGE, a European-wide project on biomarkers of aging. The sample included 3252 individuals aged 18 to 92 years from eight European countries. SRH was categorized as poor&fair, good, very good and excellent. Multinomial logistic regression was used, contrasting “excellent” to “poor&fair”. Altogether 170 biomarkers were included in the preliminary analyses and, adjusted for age and gender, 42 of them showed a significant association with SRH. Adjusted for age, gender and cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, diabetes, elevated blood pressure, hypothyroidism/hyperthyroidism and respiratory diseases, still 33 biomarkers showed a significant association. Of these, the TOP5 strongest SRH-associations were with concentrations of beta-carotene (β=1.7), 25-hydroxyvitamin-D (β=0.03), lutein (β=3.7), beta-cryptoxanthine (β=2.3) and HDL-cholesterol (β=1.3) in plasma (all P<0.001). The findings suggest that SRH reflects the physiological state of the organism beyond the disease diagnoses, and better SRH is strongly associated with higher levels of plasma carotenoids that serve as biomarkers of fruit and vegetable intake.

Red palm olein supplementation on cytokines, endothelial function and lipid profile in centrally overweight individuals: a randomised controlled trial.

The consumption of antioxidant-rich cooking oil such as red palm olein may be cardioprotective from the perspective of subclinical inflammation and endothelial function. Using a crossover design, we conducted a randomised controlled trial in 53 free-living high-risk abdominally overweight subjects, comparing the effects of incorporating red palm olein (with palm olein as control) in a supervised isocaloric 2100 kcal diet of 30% en fat, two-thirds (45 g/day) of which were derived from the test oil for a period of 6 weeks each. We did not observe a significant change in interleukin-6 (IL-6), in parallel with other pro-inflammatory (tumour necrosis factor-β, interleukin-1β, IL-1β, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, hsCRP) and endothelial function (soluble intercellular adhesion molecules, sICAM, soluble intravascular adhesion molecules, sVCAM) parameters. Interestingly, we observed a significant reduction in oxidised LDL levels (P < 0.0386) while on the red palm olein diet, together with the increase in plasma alpha tocopherol (P < 0.0002), alpha carotene (P < 0.0001) and beta carotene (P < 0.0001) concentrations compared with palm olein diet. Red palm olein did not improve subclinical inflammation and endothelial function despite profound increase in antioxidant levels. The positive improvement in oxidised LDL merits further attention in this group of subjects at risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Abstract 168: Role of Beta-Carotene Conversion to Vitamin a in Atherosclerosis

Beta-carotene (BC) is the natural precursor of vitamin A, a potent gene regulator involved in cellular homeostasis and immune system. Vitamin A is formed by the action of the enzyme BC oxygenase 1 (BCO1), which is mostly expressed in the intestine and the liver. Whereas ingested BC is present in large amounts in human plasma and tissues, wild-type mice do not accumulate BC in significant amounts. To study the role of circulating BC and its conversion to vitamin A in atherosclerosis, we crossed Ldlr -/- mice with Bco1 -/- mice. When compared to Ldlr -/- mice, Ldlr -/- / Bco1 -/- mice fed a Western Diet containing BC (WD-BC) accumulate large amounts of BC in plasma, liver, and in atherosclerotic lesions. To study the role of BCO1 in the conversion BC to vitamin A in myeloid cells, as well as in plaque macrophages, we performed bone marrow transplant experiments (BMTs) using wild-type or Bco1 -/- mice as a donor, and Ldlr -/- / Bco1 -/- as a recipient mice. After BMTs, recipient mice were fed WD-BC for 16 weeks. Gene expression analyses on circulating monocytes and T-cells of mice receiving Bco1 -/- myeloid cells showed a pro-inflammatory phenotype in comparison to those that received wild-type cells (monocytes; IL-1β ˜ 1.5 fold increase, T-cells; FoxP3 ˜ 1 fold decrease). Overall, these results indicate that BCO1 regulates the inflammatory status of myeloid cells through the conversion of circulating BC to vitamin A.

Effect of regular consumption of provitamin A biofortified staple crops on Vitamin A status in populations in low-income countries

Biofortification of staple crops with provitamin A (PVA) carotenoids is an innovative strategy for controlling vitamin A (VA) deficiency in low-income countries (LIC). Plant breeding programs have been successful in developing biofortified varieties of cassava, maize, and orange-fleshed sweet potatoes that contain amounts of PVA-carotenoids that have the potential to impact VA status in human populations. Nutrition studies indicate that beta-carotene in biofortified staple crops is converted efficiently to VA in the body. Randomized, controlled, community-based efficacy and effectiveness trials have been conducted to assess the effect of regular consumption of PVA-carotenoid biofortified staple crops on VA status. Results indicate that regular consumption of biofortified staple crops increases plasma beta-carotene concentrations consistently, but has a moderate effect, or no effect, on VA status, when assessed by serum retinol concentration, breast milk retinol concentration, or total body VA stores. Studies are currently underway to further investigate whether consumption of biofortified staple crops improves VA status in population subgroups at risk of VA deficiency, and to better understand how to optimize the biological impact of these interventions in resource-poor settings. Keywords: Beta-carotene, Biofortification, Bioavailability, Cassava, Maize, Provitamin A, Sweet potatoes, Vitamin A

Consuming High-Carotenoid Fruit and Vegetables Influences Skin Yellowness and Plasma Carotenoids in Young Women: A Single-Blind Randomized Crossover Trial

BackgroundConsumption of dietary carotenoids from fruits and vegetables (F/V) leads to accumulations in human skin, altering skin yellowness. The influence of the quantity of F/V consumed on skin yellowness and plasma carotenoid concentrations has not been examined previously. ObjectiveTo compare the influence of consuming high-carotenoid-containing F/V (HCFV) (176,425 μg beta carotene/wk) vs low-carotenoid F/V (LCFV) (2,073 μg beta carotene/wk) on skin yellowness and plasma carotenoid concentrations, over 4 weeks. Design and interventionA single-blind randomized controlled crossover trial from October 2013 to March 2014. Thirty women were randomized to receive 7 daily servings of HCFV or LCFV for 4 weeks. Following a 2-week washout period they followed the alternate intervention. Main outcome measuresSkin color (Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage L*a*b* color space, where L* represents skin lightness and positive values of a* and b* represent degrees of redness and yellowness, respectively) was assessed by reflectance spectroscopy in both sun-exposed and nonexposed skin areas. Fasting plasma carotenoids were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography, before and after each intervention period. Statistical analyses performedLinear mixed models were used to determine the HCFV and LCFV response on skin color and plasma carotenoids, adjusting for intervention order, time, and interaction between baseline differences and time. ResultsThere were no significant differences in mean daily fruit (P=0.42) and vegetable (P=0.17) intakes between HCFV and LCFV groups. Dietary alpha carotene, beta carotene, lutein, and beta cryptoxanthin intakes were significantly different between the two groups (P<0.01). Following HCFV there was a significantly greater increase in skin yellowness (b*) in both sun-exposed (P<0.001) and unexposed areas, (P<0.001), with no change in skin lightness (L*) or redness (a*). Significantly higher plasma alpha carotene (P=0.004), beta carotene (P=0.001), and lutein (P=0.028) concentrations were found following the HCFV intervention. Skin yellowness correlated with alpha carotene and beta carotene. ConclusionsSkin yellowness (b*) and fasting plasma carotenoid concentrations were significantly higher following HCFV than LCFV over 4 weeks.

Dietary beta-carotene and lutein metabolism is modulated by the APOE genotype.

The human apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype has been suggested to interact with nutrient metabolism particularly with lipid soluble vitamins. Plasma carotenoid levels are determined by numerous dietary and genetic factors with high inter-individual variation; however, the APOE genotype has not been systematically examined so far. Our aim was to investigate the effect of the APOE genotype on dietary carotenoid metabolism with special regard to transcriptional regulation of carotenoid absorption, cleavage and adipocyte fat storage. We supplemented targeted replacement mice expressing human APOE3 and APOE4 isoforms with dietary beta-carotene (BC) and lutein (LUT) for 8 weeks. Plasma BC and adipose tissue BC and LUT levels were in trend lower in APOE4 than APOE3 mice, while hepatic expression of the beta-carotene oxygenases BCO1 and BCO2 was significantly higher. In contrast to the liver, mRNA levels of proteins involved in carotenoid absorption and cleavage in the small intestinal mucosa as well as of adipogenic markers in the adipose tissue were not different between APOE3 and APOE4 mice. Our data suggest that the hepatic carotenoid cleavage activity is higher in APOE4 mice partially reducing the circulation and extra-hepatic accumulation of intact carotenoids as compared to APOE3. Therefore we suggest considering the APOE genotype as modulator of carotenoid status in the future. © 2016 BioFactors, 42(4):388-396, 2016.

SNPs in Lipid and Carotenoid Metabolism and Absorption Genes Impact Carotenoid Responses to a Tomato‐Soy Juice Intervention

Several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes regulating lipid and carotenoid absorption and metabolism have been associated with individual differences in plasma concentrations and absorption kinetics of beta‐carotene (BC) and lycopene (LYC). However, whether these SNPs impact plasma and prostatic carotenoid concentrations in response to a dietary tomato product intervention is not known. The primary question addressed was whether any of seven common SNPs, previously found to be related to plasma carotenoid levels, are associated with the plasma LYC response in prostate cancer patients (n=47) consuming 0, 1, or 2 cans/d of a custom formulated tomato‐soy juice (20.6 mg LYC/can) for 23±1.7 d before scheduled therapeutic prostatectomy. Secondarily, the association of these SNPs with the plasma concentrations of other tomato carotenoids, phytoene (PE), phytofluene (PF), and BC, and prostate concentrations of LYC, PE, and PF were also explored. BCMO1 (rs12934922, rs7501331, and rs6564851), SCARB1 (rs11057841), ABCA1 (rs2230808), MTTP (rs2306985), and APOB48 (rs679899) genotypes were determined using TaqMan Genotyping Assays, and plasma and prostatic carotenoid levels were measured by HPLC. Significant relationships were defined using single SNP linear models with covariates for intervention duration, body mass, baseline plasma carotenoid concentrations, and extraneous carotenoid intake; plasma carotenoid concentrations were cholesterol‐adjusted. Significant SNPs and covariates were combined into a final, predictive linear model. The genotypes of BCMO1 rs12934922 and rs6564851 significantly interacted with treatment group (p=0.021 and p=0.046, respectively) to explain 5.6% of the variance in plasma LYC response to the dietary intervention, with baseline plasma LYC and treatment group being the major predictors of the plasma LYC response (15%, p&lt;0.001 and 55%, p&lt;0.001, respectively), body mass being a minor predictor (2%, p=0.021), and the remainder of the variation (23%) currently unexplained. The rs12934922 genotype interacted with group (p=0.085) to contribute 4% of the variability in prostate LYC concentrations, the rs12934922 genotype alone contributed 4% (p=0.018), and rs6564851 contributed 2% (p=0.053), while treatment group contributed 1% (p=0.035) and baseline plasma LYC contributed 16% (p=0.002), with the remaining variance being unexplained (72%). The rs12934922 genotype was significantly related to the plasma PF and BC responses, the rs7501331 genotype to the plasma PE response, and the rs2306985 and rs2230808 to the plasma and prostatic PF response, respectively. These findings indicate that common SNPs in genes related to lipid and carotenoid absorption and metabolism contribute to the variability in physiologic responses to dietary carotenoids in a controlled trial, and such SNPs may be important to consider when analyzing clinical data. Furthermore, these findings suggest novel relationships of these genes with PE and PF biodistribution. Future studies on the mechanistic effects of these SNPs on tomato carotenoid transport and metabolism are warranted. Clinicaltrials.gov #NCT01009736Support or Funding InformationNIH‐R01CA112632, NIH‐UL1TR001070, NIH‐P30CA01605, The Ohio State University's Food Innovation Center and The Center for Advancement of Functional Foods Research and Entrepreneurship

Correlations between Fruit, Vegetables, Fish, Vitamins, and Fatty Acids Estimated by Web-Based Nonconsecutive Dietary Records and Respective Biomarkers of Nutritional Status

BackgroundIt is of major importance to measure the validity of self-reported dietary intake using web-based instruments before applying them in large-scale studies. ObjectiveThis study aimed to validate self-reported intake of fish, fruit and vegetables, and selected micronutrient intakes assessed by a web-based self-administered dietary record tool used in the NutriNet-Santé prospective cohort study, against the following concentration biomarkers: plasma beta carotene, vitamin C, and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Participants/settingOne hundred ninety-eight adult volunteers (103 men and 95 women, mean age=50.5 years) were included in the protocol: they completed 3 nonconsecutive-day dietary records and two blood samples were drawn 3 weeks apart. The study was conducted in the area of Paris, France, between October 2012 and May 2013. Main outcome measuresReported fish, fruit and vegetables, and selected micronutrient intakes and plasma beta carotene, vitamin C, and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid levels were compared. Statistical analysesSimple and adjusted Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients were estimated after de-attenuation for intra-individual variation. ResultsRegarding food groups in men, adjusted correlations ranged from 0.20 for vegetables and plasma vitamin C to 0.49 for fruits and plasma vitamin C, and from 0.40 for fish and plasma c20:5 n-3 (eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA]) to 0.55 for fish and plasma c22:6 n-3 (docosahexaenoic acid). In women, correlations ranged from 0.13 (nonsignificant) for vegetables and plasma vitamin C to 0.41 for fruits and vegetables and plasma beta carotene, and from 0.27 for fatty fish and EPA to 0.54 for fish and EPA+docosahexaenoic acid. Regarding micronutrients, adjusted correlations ranged from 0.36 (EPA) to 0.58 (vitamin C) in men and from 0.32 (vitamin C) to 0.38 (EPA) in women. ConclusionsThe findings suggest that three nonconsecutive web-based dietary records provide reasonable estimates of true intake of fruits, vegetables, fish, beta carotene, vitamin C, and n-3 fatty acids. Along with other validation studies, this study shows acceptable validity of using such diet-assessment methods in large epidemiologic surveys and broadens new perspectives for epidemiology.

Assessment of nutritional status in subjects of non‐MonaVie product users, before and after supplementation ő a longitudinal study (1044.20)

BACKGROUND: An antioxidant is a molecule that inhibits the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation reactions can produce free radicals that cause various diseases. Antioxidants can inhibit the oxidation reactions and increase the body's immune system. To boost antioxidant levels, the human body relies on a healthy diet. However, very few people eat enough fruits and vegetables to provide their bodies with sufficient levels of antioxidants. To fill in the nutritional gaps of modern diets, many people turn to supplementation. OBJECTIVE: This is a continuation study in non users from the cross sectional study; we evaluated the improvement on skin and plasma levels of carotenoids in subjects of non MonaVie product users after 8‐week MonaVie juice consumption. METHODS: Total 33 non users from the cross sectional study were enrolled; 18 subjects having MonaVie juice formulated with proprietary carotenoid powder blend; 15 subject having MonaVie juice formulated with commercial carotenoid granules. All subjects had the weekly reflectance score measurements. and blood draw was taken at t=0 and 8 weeks. The plasma concentration of carotenoids were extracted and assayed by validated extraction and HPLC methods. RESULTS: The group having juice with proprietary carotenoid blend showed a good correlation between reflectance scores as well as the plasma beta carotene concentration (before r2 = 0.44 vs. after r2 = 0.44); while the group having juice with commercial carotenoids showed no correlation between reflectance scores and plasma beta carotene concentration (before r2 = 0.37 vs. after r2 = 0.095). CONCLUSION: The results show that both skin carotenoid levels and plasma carotenoid concentration were increased significantly after 8 week consumption of MonaVie juices; The juice with the proprietary carotenoid blend showed a good correlation between skin levels and plasma concentrations, suggesting a consistent and stable absorption rate and good bioavailability.

Fortification of vitamin A in a phytosterol enriched milk maintains plasma beta-carotene levels

The aim of the current study was to investigate if the supplementation of vitamin A via a phytosterol enriched low-fat milk could prevent the reduction of plasma beta-carotene concentrations than often occurs after plant sterols' or stanols' intake. A sample of 108 hypercholesterolaemic adults (40-60years old) was randomized to an enriched milk group that contained among other nutrients phytosterols (0.5g/100ml) and vitamin A (111μg/100ml) (EMG: n = 40), a placebo plain milk group (PMG: n = 37), and a control group (CG: n = 31) following their usual diet; the EMG and the PMG consumed 500ml milk per day and in order to ensure compliance with the intervention scheme, attended health and nutrition counselling sessions biweekly over a 3-month period. Dietary intake of vitamin A significantly increased in the EMG compared to the PMG and the CG (P < 0.001) and all groups significantly increased their vegetable consumption. However, no significant differences were found among groups regarding changes in dietary intake of beta-carotene and consumption of fruits. Regarding biochemical indices, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and apolipoprotein-B decreased significantly within all study groups, with the decreases being significantly higher in the EMG compared to the CG (-25.4 vs. -9.9; -21.7 vs. -8.2 and -13.2 vs. -3.4mg/dl, respectively; P < 0.05). Plasma concentrations of beta-carotene did not change in any of the three groups. Extra fortification of a phytosterol enriched milk with vitamin A seems to be useful in maintaining plasma beta-carotene levels of hypercholesterolemic adults after consumption of 2.5g/d of phytosterols over a 3-month intervention period.

Robust Variable Selection With Exponential Squared Loss

Robust variable selection procedures through penalized regression have been gaining increased attention in the literature. They can be used to perform variable selection and are expected to yield robust estimates. However, to the best of our knowledge, the robustness of those penalized regression procedures has not been well characterized. In this article, we propose a class of penalized robust regression estimators based on exponential squared loss. The motivation for this new procedure is that it enables us to characterize its robustness in a way that has not been done for the existing procedures, while its performance is near optimal and superior to some recently developed methods. Specifically, under defined regularity conditions, our estimators are -consistent and possess the oracle property. Importantly, we show that our estimators can achieve the highest asymptotic breakdown point of 1/2 and that their influence functions are bounded with respect to the outliers in either the response or the covariate domain. We performed simulation studies to compare our proposed method with some recent methods, using the oracle method as the benchmark. We consider common sources of influential points. Our simulation studies reveal that our proposed method performs similarly to the oracle method in terms of the model error and the positive selection rate even in the presence of influential points. In contrast, other existing procedures have a much lower noncausal selection rate. Furthermore, we reanalyze the Boston Housing Price Dataset and the Plasma Beta-Carotene Level Dataset that are commonly used examples for regression diagnostics of influential points. Our analysis unravels the discrepancies of using our robust method versus the other penalized regression method, underscoring the importance of developing and applying robust penalized regression methods.

Sufficient dimension reduction in multivariate regressions with categorical predictors

In this paper, we present a novel sufficient dimension reduction method for multivariate regressions with categorical predictors. We adopt ideas from a previous work byChiaromonte et al. (2002) who proposed sufficient dimension reduction in regressions with categorical predictors and the work by Li et al. (2008) who proposed the projective-resampling idea to multivariate response problems. In addition, we incorporate a variable selection procedure. Simulation studies show the efficacy of our method. We present a real data analysis through our proposed method to discover new association between personal characteristics and dietary factors which influence plasma beta-carotene and retinol levels in human serum.

Bioavailability of Beta Carotene in Traditional Fermented, Roasted Granules,&amp;lt;i&amp;gt; Gari&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; from Bio-Fortified Cassava Roots

Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD) is a major public health issue and of global concern, as it affects millions of preschool children and pregnant women worldwide. Bio-fortification has emerged as a technology with potential to sustainably alleviate VAD especially in the sub-Saharan Africa, using staples like cassava. This work studied bioavailability of beta carotene (BC) in two processed gari samples from bio-fortified cassava varieties: 01/1412 and 01/1371, using 40 weanling albino rats, grouped into four, acclimatized for 1 week and fed experimentally for 4 weeks. Plasma beta carotene (PBC) was determined with HPLC while bioavailable BC calculated using conventional linear dose response plot. The mean rat weight gain was 5.3 g with significant difference (p< 0.001) among them while mean PBC was 60.5 and 61.2 μg/dL for 01/1412 and 01/1371 respectively. From this study, a large variation of PBC among animals was found with a weak linear relationship between feed and PBC, showing that BC bioavailability is not limited to intake. The BC bioavailability of the samples was between 11% and 18% with sample from variety 01/1371 recording higher percentage (18%). Gari from bio-fortified cassava roots processed traditionally, had appreciable bioavailable BC, which can contribute to the fight against VAD and improve nutritional status in developing countries although the magnitude of the problem requires a combination of strategies, of which bio-fortification is just one. However, further work is necessary on public awareness and adoption of the product.