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Variations in the uptake of beta‐carotene in the oral mucosa of individuals after 3 days of supplementation
Author(s) -
Gilbert AnnMarie,
Stich Hans F.,
Rosin Miriam P.,
Davison Allan J.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.2910450512
Subject(s) - oral mucosa , beta carotene , carotene , beta (programming language) , medicine , population , physiology , gastroenterology , endocrinology , biology , pathology , vitamin , food science , environmental health , computer science , programming language
Variations in the response of individuals to beta‐carotene supplementation were studied by measuring the accumulation of beta‐carotene in oral mucosa cells. Beta‐carotene was administered orally to 178 individuals for 3 consecutive days, exfoliated oral mucosa cells were collected by brushing the entire oral mucosa on the 7th day following supplementation, and the beta‐carotene content was measured by HPLC analysis of the pronase‐treated cells. The rise in beta‐carotene levels in the oral mucosa following supplementation varied considerably. Significant differences in mean beta‐carotene levels in the oral mucosa were observed in 4 population groups. After supplementation, beta‐carotene levels increased by factors of 10.3 (100 Mile House), 7.8 (Williams Lake), 6.9 (Lytton) and 3.4 (Vancouver), respectively. This difference in mean beta‐carotene values is due to there being different proportions of weak and strong responders in the various population groups. Neither peak levels nor increases in beta‐carotene levels were correlated with base‐line concentrations of beta‐carotene in the pre‐supplementation samples. A second supplementation was given to 54 individuals several months after the initial supplementation. Of 17 weak responders in the first supplementation study, 10 (58.8%) individuals again showed only a small increase. A time‐course study revealed that low responders showed no significant changes in beta‐carotene levels over the 21 days following supplementation. Particular attention should be paid to weak responders when results of intervention trials using betacarotene are interpreted.