Four of our assumptions to estimate the apparent conversion factors need to be discussed. The first assumption was that when the amount of retinol equivalents derived from different diets was the same, changes in serum retinol concentration would be the same. If some retinol was stored in the liver, it would mainly have occurred in the group with the largest increase in serum retinol concentration, the retinol-rich group. Logically, in that case, our estimate of the apparent vitamin A activity of carotenoids from fruit and vegetables would be too high. The second assumption—that the carotenoids provided to the retinolrich group had the same bioavailability as those given to the fruit or the vegetable group—was too pessimistic, but the carotene content of retinol-rich meals was very small. The third and fourth assumptions—that bioconversion of all-trans-b-carotene results in twice as much retinol as does the bioconversion of acarotene, b-cryptoxanthin, and cis-isomers of b-carotene, but that their absorbabilities are the same—were more difficult to
evaluate. This is not of much concern for dark-green, leafy vegetables, for which all-trans-b-carotene is the main provitamin A. For fruit, however, the situation is more complicated because the increase in the serum concentration in relation to the amount provided was 5 times higher for b-cryptoxanthin than for bcarotene. Others, however, have reported that absorption kinetics of b-carotene and b-cryptoxanthin are similar (20). Because information on the bioavailability and bioconversion of different provitamin A carotenoids and their isomers is limited, and because the current assumptions about retinol equivalents provided by different dietary carotenoids are also based on the
assumption that their absorbabilities are the same (21), we regarded the third and fourth assumptions as valid.
Four of our assumptions to estimate the apparent conversion factors need to be discussed. The first assumption was that when the amount of retinol equivalents derived from different diets was the same, changes in serum retinol concentration would be the same. If some retinol was stored in the liver, it would mainly have occurred in the group with the largest increase in serum retinol concentration, the retinol-rich group. Logically, in that case, our estimate of the apparent vitamin A activity of carotenoids from fruit and vegetables would be too high. The second assumption—that the carotenoids provided to the retinolrich group had the same bioavailability as those given to the fruit or the vegetable group—was too pessimistic, but the carotene content of retinol-rich meals was very small. The third and fourth assumptions—that bioconversion of all-trans-b-carotene results in twice as much retinol as does the bioconversion of acarotene, b-cryptoxanthin, and cis-isomers of b-carotene, but that their absorbabilities are the same—were more difficult toevaluate. This is not of much concern for dark-green, leafy vegetables, for which all-trans-b-carotene is the main provitamin A. For fruit, however, the situation is more complicated because the increase in the serum concentration in relation to the amount provided was 5 times higher for b-cryptoxanthin than for bcarotene. Others, however, have reported that absorption kinetics of b-carotene and b-cryptoxanthin are similar (20). Because information on the bioavailability and bioconversion of different provitamin A carotenoids and their isomers is limited, and because the current assumptions about retinol equivalents provided by different dietary carotenoids are also based on theassumption that their absorbabilities are the same (21), we regarded the third and fourth assumptions as valid.
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