THE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE INTAKE OF LUTEIN, LYCOPENE AND BETA-CAROTENE FROM VEGETABLES AND FRUITS, AND BLOOD-PLASMA CONCENTRATIONS IN A GROUP OF WOMEN AGED 50-65 YEARS IN THE UK

The correlations between the mean of 4 d weighed intakes of lutein, ly copene and beta-carotene and mean plasma concentations during each of the four seasons mere lutein r 0.64, lycopene r 0.47 and beta-carotene r 0.45. Intake was not significantly correlated with plasma concentra tions during every seasonal time-point, There was a significantly high er intake of lutein during the spring compared with summer and autumn, lycopene intake was significantly higher during the summer and autumn and there were no significant seasonal differences in beta-carotene i ntake, There were, however, significant seasonal differences in plasma carotenoid concentrations, the highest levels occurring between May a nd October, There were large inter- and intra-individual variations in intake and plasma concentrations of carotenoids. BMI was inversely co rrelated with plasma beta-carotene (r - 0.41). The findings suggest th at plasma carotenoid concentrations are indicative of dietary intake, but the large intra-individual variation in plasma concentrations indi cates that any assessment of longer-term status from data at any one t ime-point should be treated with caution.