Bioconversion of Dietary Provitamin A Carotenoids To Vitamin A in Humans
Bioconversion of Dietary Provitamin A Carotenoids To Vitamin A in Humans
humans1–5
Guangwen Tang
ABSTRACT alone (10) or with vitamin E (11) or vitamin A (12), does not
Recent progress in the measurement of the bioconversion of dietary decrease the risk of cancer or cardiovascular disease, and might
1468S Am J Clin Nutr 2010;91(suppl):1468S–73S. Printed in USA. Ó 2010 American Society for Nutrition
DIETARY PROVITAMIN A CAROTENOIDS CONVERSION TO VITAMIN A 1469S
provitamin A carotenoids to vitamin A in humans are food alence was, therefore 2:1 by weight. In these studies, all subjects
matrices, food preparation, and the fat content of a meal (14). had been made deficient in vitamin A, so it cannot be de-
Recent studies reported that the conversion efficiency of dietary termined whether a 3.8- or 2-lg equivalence of b-carotene to
b-carotene is in the range of 10 to 28:1 by weight (15–19). 1 lg retinol is applicable in vitamin-A–sufficient individuals.
These data indicated that the bioconversion of b-carotene to
vitamin A was not as efficient as expected, and, as a result, the
Food and Nutrition Board recently revised the estimated effi- CHANGES IN CONCENTRATION OF SERUM VITAMIN A
ciency factor for the conversion of dietary b-carotene to vitamin The measurement of changes in serum vitamin A concen-
A from 6:1 by weight (20) to the new value of 12:1 by weight trations after the feeding of synthetic b-carotene or food rich in
(21). However, this new conversion ratio must be regarded provitamin A carotenoids has been used in populations with
as temporary and could well change, as more data become lower vitamin A status. The conversion of b-carotene into vi-
available. tamin A cannot be estimated accurately in well-nourished hu-
On the other hand, preformed vitamin A from animal origins or mans by the assessment of changes in serum retinol after
from supplements can be absorbed and stored in the human body supplementation with unlabeled b-carotene, because of the in-
Fruit, n = 49; vegetables, n = 45; Changes of serum retinol concentration Fruit: 509 RE/d; vegetables: 684 RE/d; 12:1 16
retinol-rich foods, n = 48 (ages 7–11 y) in vitamin A–deficient (’0.7 lmol/L) vitamin A–rich foods: 556 RE/d 26:1
anemic schoolchildren
Green/yellow vegetables, n = 10; Total body stores of vitamin A before Green/yellow vegetables (206 mg 27:1 18
light-colored vegetables, n = 8 and after the vegetable intervention calculated trans-b-carotene) to prevent
in schoolchildren (aged 5.3–6.5 y) the decrease of 7.7 mg in liver stores
with normal or marginal vitamin A
status
Sweet potato, Indian spinach, b-carotene Mean changes of total body stores of Sweet potato: 750 lg RE; Indian spinach: 13:1 15
capsule, or retinyl palmitate; all, vitamin A before and after a 750 lg RE; b-carotene capsule: 750 lg 10:1
A carotenoids is the food matrix. Stable isotope labeling has 3. Press Conference of the State Council Information Office. The Nutrition
provided much of the technology to study the bioconversion of and Health Status of the Chinese People. October 12, 2004. Table 2.
Available from: http://www.chinacdc.net.cn/n272442/n272530/n273736/
vegetable provitamin A carotenoids to vitamin A at a dietary n273812/n293881/n293888/3748_2.html (cited 22 February 2010).
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