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Assessment of carotenoid status and the relation to glycaemic control in type I diabetics: a follow-up study

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 60, pages 1000–1008 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

To assess the carotenoid status in young type I diabetic patients and its relationship to the glycaemic control of the disease.

Design:

A follow-up study.

Setting:

Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro, Health Area VI of Madrid (Spain).

Subjects:

Forty-seven type I diabetic patients, followed for 2.5 years.

Interventions:

Coinciding with physical examination and laboratory tests, serum levels of carotenoids were analysed by HPLC, and dietary intake of carotenoids was evaluated by a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire and 3-day prospective dietary records.

Results:

In type I diabetic patients, average intake, serum levels and correlations between diet and serum levels of carotenoids were comparable to those in reference non-diabetic groups. Between-subjects seasonal variations were observed for β-cryptoxanthin intake and serum levels (higher in winter) and serum lycopene (higher in summer). Significant within-subjects seasonal changes were shown for dietary and serum β-cryptoxanthin and serum β-carotene. Serum carotenoids were unrelated to glycaemic control markers. Subjects with clinically acceptable glycaemic control showed lower lycopene intake than those with unacceptable control. Intake of carotenoids did not explain variance in insulin dose, fasting glycaemia, fructosamine or HbA1c. With the exception of lycopene, serum carotenoids were predicted by dietary intake, but in no case by fasting glycaemia, HbA1c or fructosamine.

Conclusion:

In type I diabetic patients, serum carotenoid concentrations and their variance are determined by dietary intake patterns, and are unrelated to the glycaemic control of the disease, as assessed by biochemical markers.

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Acknowledgements

The funding of Instituto de Salud Carlos III (RCMN C03/08) and Lilly, SA (Madrid, Spain) is acknowledged. We are grateful to Dr E Rojas-Hidalgo, MD, for his support, to Teresa Motilla Valeriano and Pilar Martínez Montero for blood collection and nursing care of the patients during the study, and to all the participants. We are also indebted to Martha Messman for preparing the manuscript. None of the authors had any personal or financial conflicts of interest.

Author information

Author notes

  1. F Botella-Romero

    Present address: Unidad de Nutrición Clínica Hospital General de Albacete, 02006, Albacete, Spain

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Servicio de Endocrinología y Nutrición. Unidad de Vitaminas, Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro, Madrid, Spain

    F Granado-Lorencio, B Olmedilla-Alonso, I Blanco-Navarro, F Botella-Romero & A Simal-Antón

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  1. F Granado-Lorencio
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  2. B Olmedilla-Alonso
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  3. I Blanco-Navarro
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to F Granado-Lorencio.

Additional information

Guarantors: B Olmedilla and F Granado.

Contributors: FG and BO had the major responsibility for designing the study and writing the manuscript; FG, BO and IB performed analysis of serum and dietary carotenoids and FG and BO carried out the statistical analysis. FB and AS contributed to the clinical management and follow-up of the patients.

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Granado-Lorencio, F., Olmedilla-Alonso, B., Blanco-Navarro, I. et al. Assessment of carotenoid status and the relation to glycaemic control in type I diabetics: a follow-up study. Eur J Clin Nutr 60, 1000–1008 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602411

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602411

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