(OR08-05-24) Plasma Lycopene and Lutein Concentrations Are Associated With Reduced Adiposity and Improved Metabolic Health in Healthy Infants

Objectives: Excess adiposity and metabolic abnormalities in infancy have been linked to future risk of obesity and cardiometabolic disease. Carotenoids are phytochemicals found in fruits, vegetables, and human milk with established metabolic benefits in adults. The purpose of this ancillary study was to determine if circulating carotenoid status is inversely associated with adiposity and positively associated with insulin sensitivity in healthy infants.

Methods: Plasma carotenoid concentrations (α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin) were measured by high pressure liquid chromatography in 12 healthy infants at 4, 6, and 8 months old (n=22 observations). Adiposity was estimated using skin fold thickness measurements and expressed as % body fat. Glucose and insulin were measured using a glucose/lactate analyzer and electrochemiluminescence immunoassay, respectively, and the glucose-insulin ratio was calculated. Bivariate correlations and linear regression were used to examine relationships among variables.

Results: The mean % body fat of infants was 34.0% ± 6.9%. Plasma lycopene concentration was moderately and significantly inversely associated with % body fat (r=-0.492, p=0.020). This relationship remained significant after adjusting for breastfeeding status. Plasma lutein concentration was moderately and inversely associated with % body fat (r=-0.414, p=0.055). Plasma lycopene and lutein concentrations were moderately and significantly inversely associated with insulin (r=-0.571, p=0.041; r=-0.584, p=0.036, respectively). Further, plasma lutein concentration was strongly correlated with glucose-insulin ratio (r=0.659, p=0.014), a measure of insulin sensitivity, and plasma lycopene concentration was moderately associated with glucose-insulin ratio, albeit non-significant (r=0.538, p=0.058). All other carotenoids were weakly and non-significantly associated with outcomes.

Conclusions: Results from this pilot study suggest that plasma carotenoid concentrations, namely lycopene and lutein, are associated with reduced adiposity and greater insulin sensitivity. Additional research is warranted to elucidate molecular mechanisms by which lycopene and lutein influence adipose tissue biology and cardiometabolic health in infants.

Funding Sources: USDA/ARS; TCH/BCM Pediatric Pilot Award