Innovation Division, KAGOME CO. LTD., 17 Nishitomiyama, Nasushiobara, Tochigi 329-2762, Japan.
Department of Active Life Promotion Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki University, 5 Zaifu-cho, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-8562, Japan.
Nutrients. 2021 Mar 11;13(3):912. doi: 10.3390/nu13030912.
Consumption of fruits and vegetables rich in carotenoids has been widely reported to prevent cardiovascular diseases. However, the relationship between serum carotenoid concentrations and visceral fat area (VFA), which is considered a better predictor of cardiovascular diseases than the body-mass index (BMI) and waist circumference, remains unclear. Therefore, we examined the relationship in healthy individuals in their 20s or older, stratified by sex and age, to compare the relationship between serum carotenoid concentrations and VFA and BMI. The study was conducted on 805 people, the residents in Hirosaki city, Aomori prefecture, who underwent a health checkup. An inverse relationship between serum carotenoid concentrations and VFA and BMI was observed only in women. In addition, the results were independent of the intake of dietary fiber, which is mainly supplied from vegetables as well as carotenoids. This suggests that consumption of a diet rich in carotenoids (especially lutein and beta-carotene) is associated with lower VFA, which is a good predictor of cardiovascular disease, especially in women. This study is the first to comprehensively evaluate the association between serum carotenoid levels and VFA in healthy individuals.
摄入富含类胡萝卜素的水果和蔬菜已被广泛报道可预防心血管疾病。然而，血清类胡萝卜素浓度与内脏脂肪面积（VFA）之间的关系尚不清楚，VFA 被认为是比身体质量指数（BMI）和腰围更好的心血管疾病预测指标。因此，我们在 20 岁及以上的健康人群中按性别和年龄进行分层，以比较血清类胡萝卜素浓度与 VFA 和 BMI 之间的关系。该研究在青森县弘前市的 805 名居民中进行，他们接受了健康检查。仅在女性中观察到血清类胡萝卜素浓度与 VFA 和 BMI 呈负相关。此外，这些结果与膳食纤维的摄入量无关，膳食纤维主要来自蔬菜和类胡萝卜素。这表明，摄入富含类胡萝卜素（尤其是叶黄素和β-胡萝卜素）的饮食与较低的 VFA 有关，VFA 是心血管疾病的一个很好的预测指标，尤其是在女性中。这项研究首次全面评估了健康个体血清类胡萝卜素水平与 VFA 之间的关联。
