Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Communication
  • Published:

Accumulation and interactions of β-carotene and α-tocopherol in patients with adenomatous polyps

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 56, pages 546–550 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective: The aims of the present study were: (1) to determine whether short-term supplementation of β-carotene (BC) or vitamin E (VE; α-tocopherol) would result in their respective accumulation in normal colonic mucosa and in adenomatous polyps; (2) to determine whether the intake of BC would interfere with the concentration of VE in these target tissues.

Design: Blood and colonic biopsy samples were taken before and after supplementation.

Subjects: Eighteen volunteers with colonic adenomatous polyps were enrolled into this study.

Interventions: The supplementation lasted for 43 days and patients were examined over the whole period. Subjects were randomised into four groups according to the four different supplementations: placebo, natural BC (25 000 IU/day), natural VE (400 IU/day), combination BC/VE.

Results: Initially we were aiming for recruitment of 20 patients in each group, however after 2 y of study (1997–1999), we terminated the study because of slow recruitment and analysed the data. In placebo subjects after supplementation, the plasma concentrations of BC and VE remained unchanged, however only two patients were recruited in this group and therefore we did not include this group in our final analysis. In BC group, the plasma BC concentrations increased significantly (P<0.001), while VE concentrations were unchanged. In VE group, VE concentrations increased (P<0.01) and BC did not change, and in BC/VE group both BC (P<0.001) and VE levels (P<0.01) increased significantly. After supplementation, the tissue concentration of BC in normal colonic mucosa in BC group increased significantly (P<0.01) while the VE concentration did not change. In VE group, the concentration of VE in normal colonic mucosa increased slightly but did not reach statistical significance. However, VE concentration increased significantly (P<0.05) in the polyps of this group. In BC/VE group, in which patients received the combination treatment, the BC concentration of normal colonic mucosa increased (P<0.05) but, surprisingly, the VE concentration decreased significantly (P<0.01). Interestingly in the polyps, although the BC concentration increased (P<0.01), the concentration of VE was reduced moderately but did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusions: Supplementation of BC in doses used in this study may have significantly interfered with the VE concentration in the examined tissue and probably with its metabolic pathway.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Albanes D, Malila N, Taylor PR et al. 2000 Effects of supplemental α-tocopherol and β-carotene on colonrectal cancer: results from controlled trial (Finland) Cancer Causes Control 11: 197–205

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Almendingen K, Trygg K, Hofstad B, Veierod MB, Vatn MH . 2001 Results from two repeated 5 day dietary records with a 1 y interval among patients with colorectal polyps Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 55: 374–379

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cahill RJ, O'Sullivan KR, Mathias PM, Beattie S, Hamilton H, O'Morain C . 1993 Effects of vitamin antioxidant supplementation on cell kinetics of patients with adenomatous polyps Gut 34: 963–967

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Frommel TO, Mobarhan S, Doria M, Halline AG, Luk GD, Bowen PE, Candel A, Liao Y . 1995 Effect of beta-carotene supplementation on indices of colonic cell proliferation J. Natl Cancer Inst. 87: 1781–1787

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gey FK, Brubacher GB, Stahelin HB . 1987 Plasma levels of antioxidant vitamins in relation to ischemic heart disease and cancer Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 45: 1368–1377

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Greenberg ER, Baron JA, Stukel TA, Stevens MM, Mandel JS, Spencer SK, Elias PM, Lowe N, Nierenberg DW, Bayrd G et al. 1990 A clinical trial of beta-carotene to prevent basal-cell and squamous-cell cancers of the skin. The Skin Cancer Prevention Study Group New Engl. J. Med. 12: 789–795

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hercberg S, Galan P, Preziosi P, Roussel AM, Arnaud J, Richard MJ, Malvy D, Paul-Dauphin A, Briancon S, Favier A . 1998 Background and rationale behind the SU.VI.MAX. Study, a prevention trial using nutritional doses of a combination of antioxidant vitamins and minerals to reduce cardiovascular diseases and cancers. Supplementation en Vitamines et Mineraux Antioxidants Study Int. J. Vitam. Nutr. Res. 1: 3–20

    Google Scholar 

  • Jandacek RJ . 2000 The canary in the cell: a sentinel role of β-carotene J. Nutr. 130: 648–651

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Krinsky NI . 1998 Overview of lycopene, carotenoids and disease prevention Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. 2: 95–97

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maiani G, Pappalardo G, Ferro-Luzzi A, Raguzzini A, Azzini E, Guadalaxara A, Trifero M, Frommel T, Mobarhan S . 1995 Accumulation of beta-carotene in normal colorectal mucosa and colonic neoplastic lesions in humans Nutr. Cancer 24: 23–31

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Meydani M, Martin A, Mercado-Ribaya JD, Gong J, Blumberg JB, Russel RM . 1994 β-carotene supplementation increase antioxidant capacity of plasma in older women J. Nutr. 124: 2397–2403

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mobarhan S, Shiau A, Grande A, Kolli S, Stacewicz-Sapuntzakis M, Oldham T, Liao Y, Bowen P, Dyavanapalli M, Kazi N et al. 1994 beta-carotene supplementation results in an increased serum and colonic mucosal concentration of beta-carotene and a decrease in alpha-tocopherol concentration in patients with colonic neoplasia Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 6: 501–505

    Google Scholar 

  • Nierenberg DW, Stukel TA, Mott LA, Greenberg ER . 1994 Steady-state serum concentration of alpha-tocopherol not altered by supplementation with oral beta-carotene. The Polyp Prevention Study 1 Group J. Natl Cancer Inst. 86: 117–120

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • O'Sullivan KR, Mathias PM, Tobin A, O'Morain . 1991 Risk of adenomatousous polyps and colorectal cancer in relation to serum antioxidants and cholesterol status Eur. J. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 3: 775–779

    Google Scholar 

  • Palozza P, Krinsky NI . 1992 Beta-carotene and alpha-tocopherol are synergistic antioxidant Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 1: 184–187

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pappalardo G, Maiani G, Mobarhan S, Guadalaxara A, Azzini E, Raguzzini A, Salucci M et al. 1997 Plasma (carotenoids, retinol, α-tocopherol) and tissue (carotenoids) levels after supplementation with β-carotene in subjects with precancerous and cancerous lesions of sigmoid colon Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 51: 661–666

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Parker RS . 1996 Absorption, metabolism and transport of carotenoids Faseb J. 5: 542–551

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peto R, Doll R, Buckley JD, Sporn MB . 1981 Can dietary beta-carotene materially reduce human cancer rates? Nature 290: 201–208

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pryor WA, Sthal W, Rock CL . 2000 Beta carotene: from biochemistry to clinical trials Nutr. Rev. 58: 39–53

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Slattery ML, Benson J, Curtin K, Khe-Mi Ma, Schaeffer D, Potter JD . 2000 Carotenoids and colon cancer Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 71: 575–582

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stacewicz-Sapuntzakis M, Bowen PE, Kikendal JW, Burgess M . 1987 Simultaneous determination of serum retinal and various carotenoids: their distribution in middle-aged men and women J. Micronutr. Anal. 3: 27–45

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Van Poppel G . 1996 Epidemiology for β-carotene in prevention and cardiovascular disease Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 50: S57–S61

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Willett WC, Stampfer MJ, Underwood BA, Taylor JO, Hennekens CH . 1983 Vitamins A, E and carotene: effects of supplemention on their plasma levels Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 38: 559–566

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • World Cancer Research Fund in association with American Institute for Cancer Research. 1997 Cancer, nutrition and food In Food, Nutrition and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective pp 216–251 Washington, DC: World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research

  • Xu MJ, Plezia PM, Alberts DS, Emerson SS, Peng YM, Sayers SM, Liu Y, Ritenbaugh C, Gensler HL . 1992 Reduction in plasma or skin alpha-tocopherol concentration with long-term oral administration of beta-carotene in humans and mice J. Natl Cancer Inst. 20: 1559–1565

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. G Maiani: Guarantor: G Maiani.

  2. F Simone, G Pappalardo, G Maiani, A Guadalaxara, R Bugianesi, AM Conte, E Azzini and S Mobarhan: Contributors: GP, AG and AMC examined the subjects enrolled into this study and took blood and colonic biopsy samples. FS, EA and RB contributed to the conception and design of the study and laboratory analyses of the samples. SM and GM co-ordinated the study. All the authors contributed to the writing of the article.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Human Nutrition Unit, National Research Institute for Food and Nutrition, Rome, Italy

    F Simone, G Maiani, R Bugianesi & E Azzini

  2. Surgery Clinic, University of Rome ‘La Sapienza’, Policlinico di Roma Umberto I, Rome, Italy

    G Pappalardo, A Guadalaxara & AM Conte

  3. Department of Medicine, Loyola University, Medical Center, Maywood, Chicago, Illinois, USA

    S Mobarhan

Authors
  1. F Simone
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. G Pappalardo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. G Maiani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. A Guadalaxara
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. R Bugianesi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. AM Conte
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. E Azzini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. S Mobarhan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to G Maiani.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Simone, F., Pappalardo, G., Maiani, G. et al. Accumulation and interactions of β-carotene and α-tocopherol in patients with adenomatous polyps. Eur J Clin Nutr 56, 546–550 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601354

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601354

Keywords

Search

Advanced search

Quick links