Possible Interaction: Carotenoids and Beta Carotene

“The intake of either beta-carotene or a mixture of carotenoids similarly increased total carotenoids in skin from wk 0 to wk 12.”

“Supplementation with alpha- + beta-carotene (carotene-rich palm oil) resulted in 14-fold and 5-fold increases respectively in serum levels of these carotenoids.”

“A biologic interaction between beta-carotene and other carotenoids was suggested.”

“This study showed that serum concentrations of non-beta-carotene carotenoids are altered by long-term beta-carotene supplementation and confirms the adverse effects of alcohol and cigarette smoking on serum carotenoids.”

“The increase in serum concentrations of these carotenoids after beta-carotene supplementation suggests that beta-carotene may interact biologically with other carotenoids and such interaction would need to be taken into consideration when the protective effect of beta-carotene supplementation for cancer or other diseases is examined.”

“The inhibitory potencies of certain carotenoids on radical generation markedly exceeded that of beta-carotene.”

“Much of the evidence suggests an interaction between beta-carotene and oxycarotenoids such as canthaxanthin and lutein, and between the hydrocarbon carotenoids beta-carotene and lycopene.”

“Reflecting on past and current studies, the panel of …) the potential harm of a high intake of beta-carotene on selected populations, (2) biochemical antioxidant/prooxidant mechanisms of … the cellular level, (3) potential benefits of other carotenoids and antioxidants, and (4) future directions … in beta-carotene and other antioxidants.”

“Inverse associations between dietary carotenoids and serum beta-carotene and lung cancer have been observed repeatedly.”

“ Beta‐carotene stimulated the secretion of a novel cytotoxic cytokine when peripheral blood cells were exposed to carotenoid concentrations between 10‐6 and 10‐10M.”