• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.822-830
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• 2003

Carotenoid-rich foods focus one's attention on the prevention age-related diseases. This study was conducted to investigate the carotenoid status and look into the factors that affect the bioavailability of carotenoid in 121 elderly nonsmoking Korean women. Carotenoids and lipids in plasma, and nutrient intakes including carotenoid were studied. The mean plasma total-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triacylglycerol concentrations were 220.0 mg/dl 49.5mg/dl , 139.2mg/dl and 157.4mg/dl , respectively. Significantly positive correlations were found between the plasma lutein + zeaxanthin, lycopene and $\beta$-carotene concentrations and the intake of fruits (r=0.17, r=0.20, r=0.19). However, significantly negative correlations were found between the plasma zeaxanthin, and $\beta$-carotene concentrations that adjusted for carotenoid intakes and intakes of vegetables (r=-0.21, r=-0.19), and between plasma lutein＋zeaxanthin, lycopene and $\beta$-carotene concentrations that adjusted for carotenoid intakes and intakes of fruits (r= -0.21, r=-0.18, r=-0.24). After the adjustment for plasma lipids, there was no correlation between the plasma carotenoid concentrations and the carotenoid-rich foods. However, after adjustment for fiber intake, significantly strong positive correlations were found between the plasma carotenoid concentrations and carotenoid-rich foods. The plasma levels of carotenoid biomarkers (plasma carotenoid concentrations adjusted for dietary fiber intakes) decreased with age, and the plasma levels of lycopene biomarkers (plasma lycopene concentrations adjusted for dietary fiber intakes) increased with regular exercise. However alcohol drinking had no impact. These results suggested that age, physical activity, and dietary fiber intake affected the bioavailability of carotenoid. Therefore, when the elderly have carotenoid-rich foods, they should consider ways of increasing the bioavailability of carotenoid through cooking methods and Physical activity.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.208-219
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• 2015

Objectives: According to preceding studies, many people with mental disability have unbalanced dietary habits or excessive intake of calories. Most of them are overweight or obese due to lack of self-control for food consumption, swallowing with inadequate chewing and physical inactivity. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the nutritional intake, including carotenoid, in mentally disabled people and find out a possible solution for nutritional improvement. Methods: People with intellectual disability (N=28), emotional disability (N=44) participated in this study. The disorder grades were from I to III and ages were between 20 and 65 years. Assessments included anthropometry, daily intake of nutrients, including carotenoid, ROMA III questionnaire for assessing bowel movement. Results: The average BMI of intellectually disabled people and emotionally disabled people was in the range of overweight and obesity respectively ($23.7{\pm}6.3kg/m^2$, $25.8{\pm}4.1kg/m^2$). Overall, the frequencies of vegetable and dairy product intakes were lower in this population. When compared with Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI) from Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans 2010, the intakes of vitamin $B_1$, vitamin $B_2$ and calcium were insufficient in both groups. Also, lycopene intakes of carotenoid were low, compared with traditional Korean diet of the non-disabled people from the second year 2008 of the 4th National Health and Nutrition Survey. In addition, emotionally disabled people also had lower intake of cryptoxanthin. Conclusions: The mentally disabled people in this study showed lower intakes of vitamin $B_1$, vitamin $B_2$, calcium and carotenoids. Based on these findings, we recommend that it is important to encourage mentally disabled people to consume sufficient amounts of such nutrients in order to promote nutritional status.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.38 no.10
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• pp.836-846
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• 2005

This study was performed to determine the effect of carotenoid-rich food consumption and smoking on the lipid peroxidation and antioxidant status in human. The subjects consisted of the health 210 middle-aged adults who visited health care center in the Inha University hospital. The blood and urine samples of the subjects were taken to analyze serum lipid profiles, plasma TBARS, total antioxidant status (TAS) and urinary 8-isoprostanes concentration. The anthropometric indices of the subjects were measured. The nutritional intake and the frequency of carotenoid-rich food consumption was determined by semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire survey. HDL-cholesterol level of the smoking subjects was significantly lower than that of the non-smoking subjects in men. In the analysis of the carotenoid-rich food consumption, the frequency of pepper and tomato consumption of the non-smoking subjects was significantly higher than that of the smoking subjects in men. In women, the Sequency of pear and peach consumption of the non-smoking subjects was significantly higher than that of the smoking subjects. HDL-cholesterol level of the high carotenoid rich food consumption group was significantly higher than that of medium and low group in women. TAS of the high carotenoid rich food consumption group was significantly higher than that of medium and low group. In conclusion, carotenoid intakes seemed to be effective to reduce lipid peroxidation and increase antioxidant status in the body. The frequency of the carotenoid-rich food consumption seemed to be lower in the smokers than in the non-smokers. However, further researches consisted of large-scaled and randomized clinical trials are required to determine whether carotenoids have any other beneficial effect in human. (Korean J Nutrition 38(10): 836$\sim$846,2005)

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.45-50
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• 2012

Dietary intakes and plasma concentrations of retinol and carotenoids were estimated in assessing the vitamin A status of Korean adults living in Seoul and the metropolitan area. Three consecutive 24-h food recalls were collected from 106 healthy subjects (33 males and 73 females) aged 20-59 years. Fasting blood samples of the subjects were obtained and plasma retinol and carotenoids were analyzed. The daily vitamin A intakes ($mean{\pm}SD$) were $887.77{\pm}401.35{\mu}g $ retinol equivalents or $531.84{\pm}226.42{\mu}g$ retinol activity equivalents. There were no significant differences in vitamin A intakes among age groups. The retinol intake of subjects was $175.92{\pm}129.87{\mu}g/day$. The retinol intake of the subjects in their 50's was significantly lower than those in their 20's and 30's (P<0.05). Provitamin A carotenoid intakes were $3,828.37{\pm}2,196.29{\mu}g/day$ ${\beta}$-carotene, $472.57{\pm}316.68{\mu}g/day$ ${\alpha}$-carotene, and $412.83{\pm}306.46{\mu}g/day$ ${\beta}$-cryptoxanthin. Approximately 17% of the subjects consumed vitamin A less than the Korean Estimated Average Requirements for vitamin A. The plasma retinol concentration was $1.22{\pm}0.34{\mu}mol/L$. There was no significant difference in plasma retinol concentrations among age groups. However, the concentrations of ${\beta}$-carotene, lycopene, and lutein of subjects in their 50's were significantly higher than those of in their 20's. Only one subject had a plasma retinol concentration < $0.70{\mu}mol/L$ indicating marginal vitamin A status. Plasma retinol concentration in 30% of the subjects was 0.70- < $1.05{\mu}mol/L$, which is interpreted as the concentration possibly responsive to greater intake of vitamin A. In conclusion, dietary intakes and status of vitamin A were generally adequate in Korean adults examined in this study.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.14-25
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to estimate the daily intake of vitamin A in Korean female university students. Vitamin A intake was estimated using an inconsecutive 3-day dietary intake survey from 481 young women. Vitamin A intake values were calculated based on the data in USDA database. Average age, height, and weight of the subjects were 20.05 years, 162.13 cm and 54.38 kg, respectively. The subject's average intake of energy was 1645.67 kcal. The mean vitamin A, retinol and ${\beta}$ carotene intakes were $908.35{\pm}863.18$ ug retinol equivalent/day, $199.19{\pm}166.00$ ug/day and $3872.59{\pm}4972.17$ ug/day, respectively. The 21.83% of the subjects consumed less than the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) for vitamin A. And subjects consumed 141.69% of the Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI) for vitamin A. Food groups consumed with high vitamin A content in our subjects included vegetables (423.96 ug RE/day), potato and starches (213.64 ug RE/day), cereals (62.60 ug RE/day), eggs (55.17 ug RE/day) and milks (53.45 ug RE/day). The major food sources of vitamin A were sweet potato, carrot, spinach, egg, and cereal, and the top 30 foods provided 89.57% of total vitamin A. Also animal-derived food provided 9.65% of the vitamin A intake from the top 30 foods. In conclusion, judging from RNI, the vitamin A intake of the Korean female university students in this study was generally adequate. The result of our study may be used as a basis for follow-up studies of vitamin A intake like assessment of vitamin A nutritional status or evaluation of carotenoid food sources in Korean young women.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.201-210
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• 2022

Vitamin A (Vit A) is a lipid-soluble vitamin required for diverse normal body functions, including good vision, reproduction, growth, development, and cellular differentiation. The therapeutic effects of Vit A have been demonstrated for the treatments of inflammation, low immunity, and cancer. The present review discusses the scientific evidence for establishing the 2020 Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans (KDRI) for Vit A, issues caused by unit change of Vit A, and suggestions for the 2025 KDRI revision. Due to the changes in the standard bodyweight observed in several age groups, the 2020 KDRI had minor revisions as compared to the 2015 KDRI. In the 2015 KDRI, the Vit A unit has changed from retinol equivalent (RE) to retinol activity equivalent (RAE) and the activity of carotenoids became half with RAE compared to RE due to this unit change. Since the Vit A intake of Koreans relies heavily on plant-based carotenoids, the dietary intake of Vit A in Koreans as determined by considering the RAE was much lower than values obtained with RE. The analysis for Vit A intake by the Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey only reflects intakes of retinol and beta-carotene. Thus, it would be necessary to include the consumption of other provitamin A, such as alpha-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin. Moreover, assessing the amounts of Vit A in foods should be customized to Korean diets since there are seasonal variations in the carotenoid concentration of plants. Moreover, other factors such as age- and sex-specific intake data and considerations of baseline micronutrient status, body mass index, and dietary patterns should be considered for developing more precise KDRI. In particular, the Vit A requirement needs to be met by consuming diverse foods, including animal foods.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.464-473
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• 2009

The serum levels of antioxidant materials (${\alpha}$-carotene, ${\beta}$-carotene, ${\beta}$-cryptoxanthin, lutein, lycopene, ${\alpha}$-tocopherol, ${\gamma}$-tocopherol, retinol) of the healthy Korean middle-aged adults (n = 373) were measured and their relationships with the serum lipids and anthropometric indices were analyzed. The serum levels of ${\beta}$-cryptoxanthin, ${\beta}$-carotene, lutein were higher than those of lycopene and ${\alpha}$-carotene. The levels of all measured carotenoids except lutein were significantly higher in females than in males, but retinol level was vice versa. There was a tendency of increase in serum levels of antioxidant vitamins with increasing age. The serum carotenoid levels had a positive correlation with serum cholesterol and a negative correlation with serum triglyceride. The serum levels of tocopherols or retinol showed a significantly positive relationship with blood cholesterol or triglyceride. In overall, anthropometric indices showed negative relations with serum carotenoids levels, but vice versa with serum tocopherol or retinol levels. Particularly, ${\beta}$-carotene and lutein levels showed a significantly negative relation with blood pressure in male subjects. The serum levels of ${\alpha}$-carotene, ${\beta}$-carotene and ${\beta}$-cryptoxanthin had significantly negative relations with body fat-related indices in female subjects. The results demonstrated that blood antioxidants levels differed by sex and age, and had significant relations with blood lipid levels and anthropometric indices. Therefore, the rationale and significance of the relationships need to be elucidated in the future study related to dietary intakes and life style.