Lee Swanson Research Update

Critically Ill Patients Have Low Carotenoid Levels

May 2004

"Critically ill patients have low circulating concentrations of vitamin antioxidants," according to researchers in Glasgow, UK. They set out to determine whether the presence of a systemic inflammatory response in the body is associated with lower circulating alpha-tocopherol and carotenoid concentrations.

Researchers measured circulating concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP), malondialdehyde, alpha-tocopherol, lutein, lycopene, and alpha and beta-carotene in 24 controls and 43 critically ill patients. They found that circulating concentrations of CRP and malondialdehyde were "significantly higher" and alpha-tocopherol, lutein, lycopene, and alpha and beta-carotene were all "significantly lower in the critically ill group compared with the control group. In fact, in the critically ill group alpha and beta-carotene levels were below detection limits for many patients."

Following the study researchers reported that "the systemic inflammatory response is associated with increased lipid peroxidation and low carotenoid concentrations indicating that inflammation-driven breakdown of carotenoids is an important factor in lowering circulating carotenoid concentrations in the critically ill patient."

Clinical Nutrition 22(5):459-462, 2003

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