A non-invasive assessment of skin carotenoid status through reflection spectroscopy is a feasible, reliable and potentially valid measure of fruit and vegetable consumption in a diverse community sample

Pitts, Stephanie B. Jilcott; Jahns, Lisa; Wu, Qiang; Moran, Nancy E.; Bell, Ronny A.; Truesdale, Kimberly P.; Laska, Melissa N.

doi:10.1017/s136898001700430x

Cited by 60 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Compared with the small number of other studies that have used the Veggie Meter™ technique, our mean CRS value of 346 is higher than that recorded in a diverse community sample in Eastern North Carolina USA of~240 in African American and Non-African American (n = 469) [21] and 57 from an eye clinic in Utah, USA [14] with mean CRS of 297, but similar to a Japanese study where the mean CRS was 342 [15]. While we show no significant difference in CRS between men and women, the Japanese [15] study demonstrated that Japanese women scored higher than men (382 vs. 315).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 77%

Determinants and Suitability of Carotenoid Reflection Score as a Measure of Carotenoid Status

et al. 2020

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Carotenoids, orange-coloured pigments found in vegetables, fruit, eggs and dairy foods, act as antioxidants and vitamin A precursors in the human body. Skin carotenoid concentration is a biomarker of vegetable and fruit intake. The aim was to identify determinants of skin carotenoid concentration by measuring “Veggie Meter™” carotenoid reflection spectroscopy scores (CRS) from the fingertip of adults with a range of ages, ethnicity and body size. Frequencies of daily intake of vegetables and fruit and weekly intake of pumpkin and carrot, dark green leafy vegetables (DGLV), eggs (yolk), and dairy were determined from a self-completed food-frequency-questionnaire. A total of 571 (324 Women, 247 Men) adults, aged 16 to 85 years, completed measurements. The CRS ranged from 83 to 769, with a median of 327. Women and men did not score differently. For all participants there were negative correlations of CRS with weight (r = −0.312) and BMI (r = −0.338) and positive correlations with weekly intakes of DGLV (r = 0.242) and carrots and pumpkin (r = 0.202). Based on a review of health outcomes associated with plasma carotenoids, 82% of the participants in the current study are at moderate risk, or more, of negative health outcomes. Determinants of carotenoid status were body size, intake of DGLV, carrots and pumpkin, and ethnicity.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 77%

Determinants and Suitability of Carotenoid Reflection Score as a Measure of Carotenoid Status

et al. 2020

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“…The Veggie Meter® can be used easily in community‐based settings ( 14,15 ) . The Veggie Meter® has been validated against plasma carotenoids in a small sample of racially diverse adults ( 16 ) . Although RRS has been used in studies among 9–12 year old children to examine intervention effectiveness ( 11,12 ) , to our knowledge, no published studies have used the RS Device (the Veggie Meter®) in preschool and secondary school‐based settings.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of the Veggie Meter® as a tool to objectively approximate fruit and vegetable intake among youth for evaluation of preschool and school‐based interventions

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et al. 2020

J Human Nutrition Diet

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Background Reflection spectroscopy is an emerging, non‐invasive objective measure used to approximate fruit and vegetable intake. The present study aimed to use a reflection spectroscopy device (the Veggie Meter®, Longevity Link Corporation, Salt Lake City, UT, USA) to assess skin carotenoid status in preschool, middle‐ and high‐school students and to examine associations between skin carotenoids and self‐reported dietary intake. Methods In Autumn 2018, we used the Veggie Meter® to assess skin carotenoids and age‐appropriate validated dietary assessment measures to approximate fruit and vegetable (FV) intake. Preschool participants completed a previously validated pictorial liking tool using an iPad (Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA, USA). Middle‐school participants completed selected questions from the validated School Physical Activity and Nutrition (SPAN) (Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA) questionnaire regarding frequency of their FV and beverage intake on the previous day, with additional questions about physical activity. High‐school participants’ FV intake was assessed using the Fruit and Vegetable Screener (National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA). Spearman correlation coefficients were used to determine bivariate associations between measures of dietary intake and Veggie Meter®‐assessed skin carotenoid levels. Results Mean (SD) Veggie Meter® readings were 266 (82.9), 219 (68.1) and 216 (67.2) among preschool, middle‐ and high‐school students. There was an inverse association between soda intake and Veggie Meter® readings (r = −0.22, P = 0.03) among middle‐school students; and a positive association between daily fruit intake and Veggie Meter® readings (r = 0.25, P = 0.06) among high‐school students. Conclusions The Veggie Meter® comprises a promising evaluation tool for preschool and school‐based nutrition interventions.

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“…Our finding that total carotenoid content was not associated with total fruit and vegetable servings is in line with previous research. Pitts et al noted a similar discrepancy among African Americans in North Carolina, such that while skin carotenoids were significantly associated with carotenoid intake and plasma carotenoids, they were not associated with total self-reported fruit and vegetable intake (excluding potatoes) [19]. These findings highlight that specific messages focused on increasing red, orange, and dark green vegetables may be necessary to increase the intake of carotenoid-rich produce.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

The Healthy Cooking Index does not Predict the Carotenoid Content of Home-Cooked Meals

et al. 2020

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Home cooking programs are an increasingly popular approach to nutrition education and have the potential to promote diet quality among pediatric cancer survivors. A cornerstone of many programs is the use of fresh fruits and vegetables, which may support increased intake of many food components, including carotenoids, to improve survivor health. However, most dietary carotenoids in the United States currently come from processed vegetables, and it is unclear if the emphasis on fresh fruits and vegetables common in cooking education programs is associated with the total carotenoid content of meals. The objective of this analysis is to examine the relationship between fresh produce usage, practices commonly taught in healthy home cooking classes, and the carotenoid content of prepared meals among 40 parents with school-aged children. This is a secondary analysis of an observational study examining the quality of home cooking practices using an evidence-based index of behaviors, the Healthy Cooking Index (HCI). Nutrition-optimizing cooking practices, as quantified by the HCI, were not associated with the carotenoid content of meals (r = −0.24, p = 0.13). Further, total fruit and vegetable content of meals was not associated with total carotenoids (r = 0.14; p = 0.38), indicating heterogeneity in the carotenoid profiles of foods used by this population. High-carotenoid meals tended to use more canned and/or frozen tomato and vegetable products, and carotenoid content was associated with meals with sugar (r = 0.32; p = 0.04), and servings of refined grains (r = 0.49; p < 0.01). Our findings indicate an opportunity to educate pediatric cancer survivors and families on the incorporation of high-carotenoid food products while reducing refined grain and sweetener intake through a tailored home cooking intervention.

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A non-invasive assessment of skin carotenoid status through reflection spectroscopy is a feasible, reliable and potentially valid measure of fruit and vegetable consumption in a diverse community sample

Abstract: RS is a potentially improved method to approximate fruit and vegetable consumption among diverse participants. RS is portable and easy to use in field-based public health nutrition settings. More research is needed to investigate validity and sensitivity in diverse populations.

Cited by 60 publications

References 29 publications

Determinants and Suitability of Carotenoid Reflection Score as a Measure of Carotenoid Status

Determinants and Suitability of Carotenoid Reflection Score as a Measure of Carotenoid Status

Use of the Veggie Meter® as a tool to objectively approximate fruit and vegetable intake among youth for evaluation of preschool and school‐based interventions

The Healthy Cooking Index does not Predict the Carotenoid Content of Home-Cooked Meals

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