This study showed not only that the bioavailability of carotenoids differs among foods, but also that it differs among
carotenoids. The finding of a relatively higher bioavailability of lutein than of b-carotene from vegetables was also reported inother intervention studies that used food with a higher content of lutein than of b-carotene (4, 5, 23). This difference, as well as the difference observed between the carotenoids from fruit, may be explained by differences in polarity. Carotene bioavailability appears to increase as polarity increases (24).