Beta Carotene and Vitamin A Link Studied

Researchers developed a new experimental approach that will, for the first time, help directly measure beta carotene absorption from vegetables and determine the extent to which it is converted to vitamin A in humans.

The ongoing study is being conducted at the USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine.

This new method will provide useful information for intervention and education programs that deal with vitamin A deficiency, which is a major nutritional problem in the developing world, especially in areas where a person's diet consists mainly of plant-derived foods.

"In order to label beta carotene within a plant food, we grew spinach hydroponically in a nutrient solution containing 30 percent heavy water," says Dr. Michael Grusak, a USDA/ARS plant physiologist. "This technique will allow us to assess beta carotene absorption and metabolism from individual plant foods by feeding humans normal serving sizes, and identify whether some foods are better sources of vitamin A."

The first human studies are being conducted at the USDA/ARS Human Nutrition Research Center at Tufts University in Boston.

- From the USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine

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Courtesy of Texas Medical Center News

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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