Focus of Study: Carotenoid Absorption Clinical Trial
Official title:
Evaluation of the Effect of the Consumption of Papaya, Tomato, and Carrot on the Bioavailability of Carotenoids
The goal of this study is to determine if papaya fruits are an exceptionally good food source for carotenoids in humans, particularly when compared more common carotenoid sources like carrots and tomatoes. This objective will be accomplished by quantitation of the immediate post-prandial plasma concentrations of parent carotenoids and vitamin A metabolites from subjects who consumed a meal containing fresh papaya, tomato, and carrot.
The main purpose of this study is comparing bioavailability of papaya carotenoids versus carrot and tomato carotenoids. Previously, vitamin A deposition in rat livers was studied, showing that carotenoid bioavailability from papaya is higher than from spinach, parsley and carrots. Detailed knowledge about human carotenoid absorption and conversion from papaya fruit compared to other food sources is still lacking. ;