Skin Carotenoid Levels and Dermatologic Diseases

Summary: A mixed-methods cross-sectional study employed 202 Georgia Skin and Cancer Clinic patients to investigate relationships between dietary carotenoid intake, skin carotenoid concentration, and dermatologic health. Qualitative data was collected via a questionnaire designed to evaluate variables with hypothesized links to carotenoid levels. The Veggie MeterⓇ, a research-grade pressure-mediated reflection spectroscopy device, equated triplicate measurements to determine subdermal carotenoid concentration, an established marker of overall health. The participant population consisted of 104 females and 98 males, who ranged in age from 18 to 95 years. Statistical analysis identified a mean carotenoid score of 291 with values ranging from 111 to 711, underscoring the prevalence of carotenoid insufficiency. Interestingly, BMI had little influence on carotenoid concentration. This may suggest that although carotenoid-rich fruit and vegetable intake is typically associated with healthy weight, factors like high subcutaneous fat concentration, large dietary intake volume, and slow metabolic rate allow overweight individuals to maintain average carotenoid concentrations. Participants who never smoked had carotenoid scores slightly lower than current smokers, but higher than former smokers. The elevated scores in current smokers may reflect increased consumption of carotenoid-rich foods to counteract smoking risks. Former smokers’ lower scores might indicate lingering effects of smoking, such as oxidative stress and reduced nutrient absorption. Participants with acne had significantly lower carotenoid scores (241.52) compared to those without acne (296.90), suggesting that antioxidant insufficiency confers susceptibility to acne. Participants with sun damage/skin cancer displayed significantly higher carotenoid scores (302.59) compared to those without (264.03). This could reflect a reverse causality where people with a history of sun damage are now taking steps to boost their carotenoid intake to combat the effects of oxidative stress post-diagnosis. Foods rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, such as kale and spinach, and 𝛽-carotene-rich foods, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, and butternut squash, were found to be strongly associated with higher carotenoid scores. Lycopene-rich foods like tomatoes and watermelon showed lower or negative correlations, suggesting that these carotenoids might not contribute as much to overall carotenoid scores in this population. Further investigation of these correlative phenomena could ultimately bridge the existing research gap that has hindered development of a carotenoid supplement that effectively addresses the prevalent issue of insufficiency.