title: Beta-carotene accumulation in serum and skin.
abstract: The accumulation of beta-carotene in serum and skin was evaluated in human volunteers. A single 51-mg dose of beta-carotene given in the absence of dietary fat resulted in no detectable change in serum beta-carotene. The same dose administered with 200 g fat increased serum beta-carotene 2.5-fold at 40 h. Similarly, administering beta-carotene daily in three divided doses with meals raised the serum beta-carotene concentration three times as high compared with the same total dose administered once a day; both regimens had the same time constant for serum accumulation; 9-10 d. Remittance measurements of skin color demonstrated that the accumulation of beta-carotene in skin was delayed by up to 2 wk compared with serum accumulation. These data indicate that beta-carotene absorption requires dietary fat and is enhanced by administering with meals but there is a long time constant for serum (10 d) and tissue (several weeks) accumulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 02114.
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Prince
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Frisoli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D006207:Half-Life; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism*; D012869:Skin Absorption; D013053:Spectrophotometry; D019207:beta Carotene
chemical_list: D019207:beta Carotene; D002338:Carotenoids