Metabolic Health

Metabolic health has been proposed as clinically useful predictor of risk of future type 2 diabetes [1]. A common factor that leads to development of type 2 diabetes is insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is a phenomenon where muscle, fat and liver cells do not respond to insulin efficiently for metabolism, resulting in higher concentration of insulin needed in order to modulate glucose levels. Overtime, the insulin producing beta cells in the pancreas fail to keep up with the body’s demand for insulin, and the insufficient level of insulin will cause plasma glucose increases, and thus leading to prediabetes or diabetes [2].

Carotenoids intake high with alpha-carotene and beta-carotene have been shown to possess beneficial effects in regulating blood glucose metabolism and thus help to minimize the predisposition to insulin resistance or diabetes mellitus as shown in the list of studies below:

Study Significant Findings Reference

Dietary intake of carotenoids and risk of type 2 diabetes.

 A study conducted in Netherlands where 37,846 men and women recruited and followed up for a mean of 10 years found that high intake of α-carotene and β-carotene decreased the risks of type 2 diabetes among healthy men and women. Sluijs, I. et al. (2015), Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases
High-serum carotenoids associated with lower risk for developing type 2 diabetes among Japanese subjects: Mikkabi cohort study A 10-year follow-up study conducted among 1073 males and females age between 30 to 79 year-old from Japan showed inverse association between serum carotenoids (alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, lutein and lycopene) and the risk of type 2 diabetes development. Sugiura M., et.al. (2015). BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care
Diabetes mellitus and serum carotenoids: findings of a population-based study in Queensland, Australia Results show that fasting insulin concentrations decrease significantly with increased serum carotenoids (alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein/zeaxanthin and lycopene). High intake of carotenoids is associated with reduced impaired glucose metabolism. Coyne, T., et.al (2005). American Society for Clinical Nutrition.
Diabetes Mellitus and Serum Carotenoids: Findings from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey It was found that all serum carotenoids (α-carotene, β-carotene, cryptoxanthin, lutein/zeaxanthin, and lycopene) is inversely related to fasting serum insulin among approximately 1010 normal glucose tolerance and 655 glucose intolerance individuals. This suggests that carotenoids may play an important role in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and diabetes. Ford, E. S., et.al (1999). Am J Epidemiol.

References:

  1. Shin JA, Lee JH, Lim SY, et al. Metabolic syndrome as a predictor of type 2 diabetes, and its clinical interpretations and usefulness. J Diabetes Investig. 2013;4:334–43.
  2. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Prediabetes & Insulin Resistance. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/what-is-diabetes/prediabetes-insulin-resistance
SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS – METABOLIC HEALTH
1. Slujis, I., et.al (2015). Dietary intake of carotenoids and risk of type 2 diabetes; Nutr Metab Cardiovas; Dis. 25(4): 376-81. Doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2014.12.008.
2. Sugiura, M, et.al (2015). High-serum carotenoids associated with lower risk for developing type 2 diabetes among Japanese subjects: Mikkabi cohort study. BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care; 3(1):e000147. doi:10.1136/bmjdrc-2015-000147.
3. Coyne, T., et.al (2005). Diabetes mellitus and serum carotenoids: findings of a population-based study in Queensland, Australia.

Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Sep;82(3):685-93.
4. Ford, E. S., et.al (1999). Diabetes Mellitus and Serum Carotenoids: Findings from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Am J Epidemiol. 1999 Jan 15;149(2):168-76.
5. Van den Broek, T.J., et.al (2017). The impact of micronutrients status on health: correlation network analysis to understand the role of micronutrients in metabolic-inflammatory processes regulating homeostasis and phenotypic flexibility. Genes Nutr; 12:5. doi: 10.1186/s12263-017-0553-7. 
6. Farook, V.S., et.al (2017). Genetics of serum carotenoid concentrations and their correlation with obesity-related traits in Mexican American children. Am J Clin Nutr; 106(1): 52-58. doi:10.3945/ajcn.
7. Nuss, E.T., et.al (2017). Serum carotenoid interactions in premenopausal women reveal alpha-carotene is negatively impacted by body fat. Exp Biol Med (Maywood). doi:10.1177/1535370217706962.
8. Wulaningsih, W., et.al (2017). Investigating nutrition and lifestyle factors as determinants of abdominal obesity: an environment-wide study. Int J Obes (Lond); 41(2):340-347.doi:10.1038/ijo.2016.203.
9. Sugiura, M., et.al (2016). High serum carotenoids are associated with lower risk for developing elevated serum alanine aminotransferase among Japanese subjects: the Mikkabi cohort study. Br J Nutr; 115(8):1462-9.
10. Liu, J., et.al (2014). High serum carotenoid concentrations associated with a lower prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in middle-aged and elderly Chinese adults. Br J Nutr; 112(12):2014-8. doi: 10.1017/S000711451400316X.
11. Diener & Rohmann (2016). Associations of serum carotenoid concentrations and fruit and vegetable consumption with serum insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 and IGF binding protein-3 concentrations in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III). J Nutr Sci; doi: 10.1017/jns.2016.1. 
12. Beydoun, M.A., et.al (2012). Serum antioxidant concentrations and metabolic syndrome are associated among U.S. adolescents in recent national surveys. J Nutr; 142(9):1693-704. doi: 10.3945/jn.112.160416.
13. Azar, M., et.al. (2011). Serum carotenoids and fat-soluble vitamins in women with type 1 diabetes and preeclampsia: a longitudinal study. Diabetes Care; 34(6):1258-64. doi: 10.2337/dc10-2145.
14. Prasad, M., et.al (2011). Are serum alpha- and beta-carotene concentrations associated with the development of advanced beta-cell autoimmunity in children with increased genetic susceptibility to type 1 diabetes? Diabetes Metab; 37(2):162-7. doi: 10.1016/j.diabet.2010.10.002.
15. Suzuki, K., et.al (2011). Inverse association of serum carotenoids with prevalence of metabolic syndrome among Japanese. Clin Nutr; 30(3):369-75. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2010.12.006.
16.

Andersen, L.F., et.al (2006). Longitudinal associations between body mass index and serum carotenoids: the CARDIA study. Br J Nutr; 95(2):358-65.