title: The effect of a Mediterranean diet model on serum beta-carotene concentration. A preliminary assessment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Some of the main nutritional reasons for recommending a Mediterranean diet is to prevent metabolic diseases arising through free radical formation. A key constituent compound is beta-carotene which, amongst the carotenoids, displays the greatest provitamin A activity as well as possessing significant antioxidant properties.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Principally, to determine the relationship between serum beta-carotene levels and the effect of Mediterranean diet guidelines in a selected group of women.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subject group consisted of 26 women aged 19-22 years. A nutritional assessment was performed using 3 day repeats of 24-hour recall interviews. A 9-point aMED (alternate Mediterranean Diet) score was used to study dietary habits. Serum beta-carotene was measured by liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection (HPLC-PDA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Beta-carotene dietary intake was highly variable, ranging from 734 to 14476 microg/day (median 3022 microg/day). Serum beta-carotene concentration ranged between 0.071-1.905 micromol/L (median 0.519 micromol/L) and was significantly associated with the Mediterranean Diet model (Spearman r = 0.633, p < 0.001). Out of the dietary sources of beta-carotene, consuming carrots had the most significant impact on its serum concentration. Other dietary factors positively affecting serum beta-carotene were: consumption of nuts and seeds, pulses, a favourable ratio of mono-unsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids and eating fruit and wholegrain cereal products.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adopting a Mediterranean-based diet had a positive effect on increasing serum beta-carotene levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Commodities Science and Technology, Medical University of Bialystok, Poland. zttz@umb.edu.pl
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Witkowska
authors.forename: Małgorzata E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Zujko
authors.forename: Iwona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mirończuk-Chodakowska
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000378:metabolism; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D038441:Diet, Mediterranean; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011044:Poland; D014675:Vegetables; D016387:Women's Health; D055815:Young Adult; D019207:beta Carotene / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D019207:beta Carotene