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Plasma carotenoids as biomarkers of intake of fruits and vegetables: individual-level correlations in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 59, pages 1387–1396 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

The aim in this study was to assess the association between individual plasma carotenoid levels (α-carotene, β-carotene, lycopene, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin) and fruit and vegetable intakes recorded by a calibrated food questionnaire (FQ) and 24-h dietary recall records (24HDR) in nine different European countries with diverse populations and widely varying intakes of plant foods.

Design:

A stratified random subsample of 3089 men and women from nine countries participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), who had provided blood samples and dietary and other lifestyle information between 1992 and 2000, were included.

Results:

β-Cryptoxanthin was most strongly correlated with total fruits (FQ r=0.52, 24HDR r=0.39), lycopene with tomato and tomato products (FQ r=0.38, 24HDR r=0.25), and α-carotene with intake of root vegetables (r=0.39) and of total carrots (r=0.38) for FQ only. Based on diet measured by FQ and adjusting for possible confounding by body mass index (BMI), age, gender, smoking status, alcohol intake, and energy intake, the strongest predictors of individual plasma carotenoid levels were fruits (Rpartial2=17.2%) for β-cryptoxanthin, total carrots (Rpartial2=13.4%) and root vegetables (Rpartial2=13.3%) for α-carotene, and tomato products (Rpartial2=13.8%) for lycopene. For 24HDR, the highest Rpartial2 was for fruits in relation to β-cryptoxanthin (7.9%).

Conclusions:

Intakes of specific fruits and vegetables as measured by food questionnaires are good predictors of certain individual plasma carotenoid levels in our multicentre European study. At individual subject levels, FQ measurements of fruits, root vegetables and carrots, and tomato products are, respectively, good predictors of β-cryptoxanthin, α-carotene, and lycopene in plasma.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the work of Mathieu Mazuir in computer programming. The EPIC study was funded by the ‘Europe Against Cancer’ Programme of the European Commission (SANCO); Ligue contre le Cancer (France); Société 3M (France); Mutuelle Générale de l'Education Nationale; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM); German Cancer Aid; German Cancer Research Center; German Federal Ministry of Education and Research; Danish Cancer Society; Health Research Fund (FIS) of the Spanish Ministry of Health; the participating regional governments and institutions of Spain; Cancer Research UK; Medical Research Council, UK; the Stroke Association, UK; British Heart Foundation; Department of Health, UK; Food Standards Agency, UK; the Wellcome Trust, UK; Greek Ministry of Health; Greek Ministry of Education; Italian Association for Research on Cancer; Italian National Research Council; Dutch Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Sports; Dutch Ministry of Health; Dutch Prevention Funds; LK Research Funds; Dutch ZON (Zorg Onderzoek Nederland); World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF); Swedish Cancer Society; Swedish Scientific Council; Regional Government of Skane, Sweden; Norwegian Cancer Society.

Author information

Author notes

  1. W K Al-Delaimy

    Present address: Cancer Prevention and Control, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, USA

  2. A L van Kappel

    Present address: Cryo Bio Sytem, Paris, France

Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC-WHO), Lyon, France

    W K Al-Delaimy, P Ferrari, N Slimani, A L van Kappel & E Riboli

  2. Epidemiology Unit, National Cancer Institute, Milan, Italy

    V Pala

  3. Department of Odontology and Cariology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden

    I Johansson

  4. Department of Nutritional Research, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden

    I Johansson & S Nilsson

  5. Department of Medicine, Surgery & Orthopaedics, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden

    I Mattisson & E Wirfalt

  6. Ospedale Oncologico Regionale, Rionero, Italy

    R Galasso

  7. Molecular & Nutritional Epidemiology Unit, CSPO, Scientific Institute of Tuscany, Florence, Italy

    D Palli

  8. Cancer Epidemiology Unit, University of Turin and CPO-Piemonte, Turin, Italy

    P Vineis

  9. Cancer Registry, Azienda Ospedaliera ‘Civile—M.P.Arezzo’, Ragusa, Italy

    R Tumino

  10. Public Health Office of Guipuzkoa, Health Council of the Basque Country, San Sebastian, Spain

    M Dorronsoro

  11. Department of Epidemiology, Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain

    G Pera

  12. National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands

    M C Ocké & H B Bueno-de-Mesquita

  13. Department of Clinical Epidemiology, and Department of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, Aalborg Hospital and Aarhus University Hospital, University of Aarhus, Denmark

    K Overvad

  14. Department of Epidemiology, Council for Health and Social Affairs of Murcia, Spain

    MaD Chirlaque

  15. University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece

    A Trichopoulou & A Naska

  16. Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, Danish Cancer Society, Copenhagen, Denmark

    A Tjønneland & A Olsen

  17. Institute of Community Medicine, University of Tromsø, Norway

    E Lund & E H R Alsaker

  18. Institute of Public Health of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain

    A Barricarte

  19. INSERM, U XR 521, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France

    E Kesse, M-C Boutron-Ruault & F Clavel-Chapelon

  20. INSERM, U 557, ISTNA, CNAM, Paris, France

    M-C Boutron-Ruault

  21. Cancer Research UK, Radcliffe Infirmary, University of Oxford, UK

    T J Key & E Spencer

  22. MRC Dunn Human Nutrition Unit, Cambridge, UK

    S Bingham

  23. Strangeways Research Laboratory, University of Cambridge, UK

    A A Welch

  24. Andalusian School of Public Health, Granada, Spain

    M-J Sanchez-Perez

  25. Division of Clinical Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany

    G Nagel & J Linseisen

  26. Regional Office of Public Health of Asturias, Oviedo, Spain

    J R Quirós

  27. Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    P H M Peeters & C H van Gils

  28. German Institute of Human Nutrition, Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Germany

    H Boeing

  29. Biochemistry Laboratory, Hôpital Edouard Herriot, Lyon, France

    J-P Steghens

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  1. W K Al-Delaimy
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  2. P Ferrari
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  42. E Riboli
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to E Riboli.

Additional information

Guarantor: E Riboli.

Contributors: ER is overall coordinator of the EPIC study, which he designed and implemented in collaboration with his team at IARC and the principal investigators in the collaborating centres. NS developed the 24-h recall system and the food consumption database in collaboration with the EPIC centres. WA, NS, PF and ER constituted the writing group in charge of conducting statistical data analyses and preparing the manuscript. ALvK and JPS were in charge of laboratory analyses of carotenoids in plasma samples. The other authors supervised the collection and analysis of dietary data and the collection of blood samples in the participating study centres, and provided comments and suggestions on the final manuscript.

None of the authors have any conflict of interest in carrying out this study.

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Al-Delaimy, W., Ferrari, P., Slimani, N. et al. Plasma carotenoids as biomarkers of intake of fruits and vegetables: individual-level correlations in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Eur J Clin Nutr 59, 1387–1396 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602252

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