TY - JOUR A1 - Henning, Thorsten A1 - Wagner, Philipp A1 - Gedat, Egbert A1 - Kochlik, Bastian A1 - Kusch, Paula A1 - Sowoidnich, Kay A1 - Vastag, Marko A1 - Gleim, Jeannine A1 - Braune, Marcel A1 - Maiwald, Martin A1 - Sumpf, Bernd A1 - Grune, Tilman A1 - Weber, Daniela T1 - Evaluation of Modern Approaches for the Assessment of Dietary Carotenoids as Markers for Fruit and Vegetable Consumption TI - Nutrients N2 - The assessment of dietary carotenoids via blood measurements has been widely used as a marker for fruit and vegetable consumption. In the present study, modern, non-invasive approaches to assess dietary carotenoids, such as skin measurements and an app-based short dietary record (ASDR), were compared with conventional methods such as plasma status and handwritten 3-day dietary records. In an 8-week observational study, 21 healthy participants aged 50–65 years recorded their daily consumption of carotenoid-rich fruits and vegetables via a specially developed ASDR. Anthropometry, blood samplings and assessment of skin carotenoids via Raman and reflection spectroscopy were performed at baseline, after four weeks and at the end of the study. App-based intake data showed good correlations with plasma α-carotene (r = 0.74, p < 0.0001), β-carotene (r = 0.71, p < 0.0001), and total plasma carotenoids (r = 0.65, p < 0.0001); weak correlations with plasma lutein/zeaxanthin and β-cryptoxanthin (both r = 0.34, p < 0.05); and no correlation with plasma lycopene. Skin measurements via reflection and Raman spectroscopy correlated well with total plasma carotenoids (r = 0.81 and 0.72, respectively; both p < 0.0001), α-carotene (r = 0.75–0.62, p < 0.0001), and β-carotene (r = 0.79–0.71, p < 0.0001); moderately with plasma lutein/zeaxanthin (both r = 0.51, p < 0.0001); weakly with plasma β-cryptoxanthin (r = 0.40–0.31, p < 0.05); and showed no correlation with plasma lycopene. Skin measurements could provide a more convenient and noninvasive approach of estimating a person’s fruit and vegetable consumption compared to traditional methods, especially in studies that do not intend blood sampling. ASDR records might function as a suitable, convenient tool for dietary assessment in nutritional intervention studies. KW - carotenoid KW - vitamin KW - e-health KW - app KW - dietary record KW - blood KW - skin measurement KW - spectroscopy KW - Raman Y1 - 2023 UR - https://opus4.kobv.de/opus4-th-wildau/frontdoor/index/index/docId/1728 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:526-opus4-17280 SN - 2072-6643 VL - 15 IS - 7 PB - MDPI ER -