The intake of carotenoids in an older Australian population

Objective: To describe the distribution of carotenoid intakes and important food sources of carotenoids in the diet of a representative population of older Australians. Design: Population-based cohort study. Setting: Two post-code areas in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, Australia. Subjects: We studied 2012 (86%) of the 2334 participants aged 55 + years attending the 5-year follow-up of the cross-sectional Blue Mountains Eye Study (BMES), who completed a detailed semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire. The intakes for five carotenoids were studied: α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin combined, and lycopene. Results: The mean intake per day for each carotenoid was: α-carotene, 2675 μg; β-carotene equivalents, 7301 μg; β-cryptoxanthin, 299 μg; lutein and zeaxanthin, 914 μg; lycopene, 3741 μg; retinol, 653 μg; total vitamin A, 1872 μg retinol equivalents. β-Carotene equivalents contribute a substantial proportion of total vitamin A intake (65%) in this population. Women had slightly higher intakes than men for α-carotene, β-carotene equivalents, and lutein and zeaxanthin ( P Conclusions: Vitamin A intake in this population is high relative to the Australian Recommended Dietary Intake. Carotenoid intakes, particularly β-carotene, make a substantial contribution, particularly from fruit and vegetables. This study provides important information as a basis for examining associations between dietary carotenoid intake and eye disease in the BMES

beta-Carotene · Carotene · Carotenoid · Environmental health · Lutein · Lycopene · Population · Vitamin · Zeaxanthin · Antioxidant Activity and Oxidative Stress · Chemistry · Medicine · Food Science · Internal Medicine

• Assessment of Polyphenols, Beta-Carotene, and Vitamin C Intake with Daily Diets by Primary School Children

  Aneta Kopeć, Ewa Cieślik et al.•Ecology of Food and Nutrition•2013

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