Effects of a carotene-deficient diet on measures of oxidative susceptibility and superoxide dismutase activity in adult women.
The effect of consuming a low carotene diet (approximately 60 micrograms carotene/day) on oxidative susceptibility and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in women living in a metabolic research unit was evaluated. The diet had sufficient vitamins A, E, and C. The women ate the diet supplemented with 1500 micrograms/day beta-carotene for 4 days (baseline), then the unsupplemented diet for 68 days (depletion), followed by the diet supplemented with > 15,000 micrograms/day carotene for 28 days (repletion). Production of hexanal, pentanal, and pentane by copper-oxidized plasma low density lipoproteins from carotene-depleted women was greater than their production of these compounds when repleted with carotene. Erythrocyte SOD activity was depressed in carotene-depleted women; it recovered with repletion. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances in plasma of carotene-depleted women were elevated and diminished with repletion. Dietary carotene seems to be needed, not only as a precursor of vitamin A, but also to inhibit oxidative damage and decrease oxidation susceptibility.
Dixon
Z R
ZR
Western Human Nutrition Research Center, USDA/ARS/PWA, Presidio of San Francisco, CA 94129.
Burri
B J
BJ
Clifford
A
A
Frankel
E N
EN
Schneeman
B O
BO
Parks
E
E
Keim
N L
NL
Barbieri
T
T
Wu
M M
MM
Fong
A K
AK
D000328:Adult; D000447:Aldehydes / Q000097:blood; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency*; D004032:Diet; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000201:enzymology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010420:Pentanes / Q000097:blood; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000097:blood*; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances / Q000032:analysis*; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000097:blood
D000447:Aldehydes; D010420:Pentanes; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances; D014801:Vitamin A; D002338:Carotenoids; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase