Nutrición Hospitalaria
ISSN 1699-5198 ISSN 0212-1611
DURAN-CABRAL, Madeline; FERNANDEZ-JALAO, Irene; ESTEVEZ-SANTIAGO, Rocío OLMEDILLA-ALONSO, Begoña. Assessment of individual carotenoid and vitamin A dietary intake in overweight and obese Dominican subjects. []. , 34, 2, pp.407-415. ISSN 1699-5198. https://dx.doi.org/10.20960/nh.689.
Introduction:
Carotenoids are plant pigment with important biological activities in humans, such as provitamin-A among others. At present, there are no individual carotenoid intake data in the Dominican population, which is at risk of vitamin A deficiency and has an important percentage of overweight and obese individuals.
Objective:
To assess the individual components of vitamin A intake (retinol, α-carotene, β-carotene and β-cryptoxanthin) and that of other relevant dietary carotenoids like lutein, zeaxanthin and lycopene of Dominican daily food intake.
Methods:
Fifty overweigth and obese subjects (22-69 y). Individual carotenoid intake, from whole diet and from the ingestion of fruits and vegetables, was determined using three 24 h diet recalls and a specific carotenoid database. Retinol, macronutrient and energy intake were calculated using DIAL(r) software.
Results:
The total carotenoid intake was 6363.2 µg/day, 56.1% corresponding to provitamin A carotenoids (74.3% β-carotene). Vitamin A intake was supplied by retinol (40%) and by provitamin A carotenoids (60%); vegetables contributed more than fruits (39.2% and 19.2%, respectively). Non-provitamin A carotenoid intake represents 43.9% of the total intake and is supplied by lycopene and lutein plus zeaxanthin in similar percentages (52.3% and 47.7%, respectively).
Conclusions:
The diet of these Dominican subjets met the recommended vitamin A intake, when expressed as retinol equivalents, 59% of which was supplied by provitamin-A carotenoids from plant sources, mainly by red/orange and white/yellow foods. Individual carotenoid intake is an aspect of great interest for issuing dietary recommendations in the public health setting.
: Carotenoids; Dominican Republic; Dominicans; Dietary intake; Vitamin A; Fruit and vegetables.