Plant Pigments for Human Health: Determining the Interactions the Impact of Co-ingestion of Carotenoids and Anthocyanins From Multicolored Carrots on the Bioavailability of Provitamin A Carotenoids and the Impact on Each Pigment Groups' Respective Antidiabetic Activity in Humans

The proposed research will help characterize the impact that simultaneous consumption of anthocyanins and carotenoids has on the bioavailability of the provitamin A carotenoids a-carotene and b-carotene and the non-provitamin A carotenoid lycopene, and on their respective antidiabetic activity in humans. The central hypothesis is that provitamin A carotenoids will be bioavailable from purple-red multicolored carrots in humans, and the co-ingestion of carotenoids and anthocyanins from these carrots will have synergistic impacts on their respective antioxidant and antidiabetic effects. This hypothesis will be assessed through a 53 day randomized crossover time course study that consists of three arms in which healthy males and females ages 18-40 (n = 12) will consume carrot juice prepared from red, purple-red, or purple carrots. During each arm, participants will switch the type of juice they consume and by the end of the third arm, all participants will have ingested juice made from all three carrot varieties. Blood will be collected at multiple time points over 72 hours following consumption.