The Association Between Carotenoid Status and Body Composition in Children 2 - 18 Years of Age - A Systematic Review

The aim of this review was to determine the association between carotenoid status and body composition in children 2 - 18 years of age. Obesity is often related to poor dietary habits and lower fruit and vegetable consumption in children. Fruit and vegetables are the primary sources of antioxidant-rich dietary carotenoids; decreased intake may lead to increased risk of chronic diseases. Identifying those with lower carotenoid status in childhood could be an important target for public health intervention. Research methods for the review were conducted using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) checklist and the Central Michigan University library, via multiple scientific databases. Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms were utilized to identify relevant studies for inclusion. Twenty-three studies were included in the review (n = 16,285). Thirteen studies reported a significant inverse association between carotenoid status and body composition in children (p < 0.05), (n = 15,206). Five additional studies had varying associations between body composition and carotenoid status based on the type of carotenoid and/or measure of carotenoid status (n = 763). Carotenoid status is inversely associated with body composition; however, varying degrees of association were observed in this review. It remains to be determined whether this association is related to intake, fat mass or a combination of the two.