Two Spectroscopy Devices Can Approximate Fruit and Vegetable Intake in a Racially and Ethnically Diverse Sample

Area of Science:

• Nutritional Biochemistry
• Biomarkers
• Dietary Assessment

Background:

• Accurate assessment of fruit and vegetable intake (FVI) is crucial for evaluating nutrition interventions.
• Objective biomarkers for FVI are limited and require further validation.
• Previous studies lack direct comparisons of objective FVI measures within the same participants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the relative validity of two skin spectrophotometry devices as biomarkers for plasma carotenoid concentrations.
• To assess the devices' ability to approximate self-reported fruit and vegetable intake (FVI) and carotenoid intake.
• To determine if skin spectrophotometry can serve as a reliable objective measure of FVI.

Main Methods:

• Utilized existing data on human skin carotenoid scores (SCS) and color space measurements from two prior studies.
• Measured skin color parameters (lightness, redness, yellowness) using a Konica Minolta CM 700D spectrophotometer.
• Analyzed correlations between skin color parameters, SCS, plasma carotenoids, and self-reported FVI and carotenoid intake via food frequency questionnaires.

Main Results:

• Skin yellowness showed significant positive correlations with SCS (r=0.60-0.67) and various plasma carotenoids (r=0.30-0.57), excluding lycopene.
• Skin yellowness also correlated positively with FVI (r=0.27) and changes in SCS and plasma carotenoids.
• Skin lightness and redness showed weak correlations with all measured carotenoid and intake variables.

Conclusions:

• Skin spectrophotometry devices, particularly measuring skin yellowness, can effectively approximate fruit and vegetable intake (FVI).
• Further research is needed to clarify why these devices may not accurately detect plasma lycopene levels.
• The study was registered on clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04056624).