Effect of beta-cryptoxanthin on students during pharmacy practice - Anti-stress effect of beta-cryptoxanthin

Beta-cryptoxanthin (CRX) is a provitamin A and a potent antioxidant that is abundant in Satsuma mandarin orange, which is the most popular fruit in Japan. The anti-stress effect of CRX on humans was evaluated in fifth-year university students during both routine daily life at the university and at pharmacy practice. Salivary amylase activity (sAA) was measured as a marker of sympathetic nervous system activity. In the placebo-group, sAA in the evening (post-practice sAA) tended to be higher than sAA in the morning (pre-practice sAA) during both routine daily life at the university and during pharmacy practice. In the CRX-group, the increase of post-practice sAA was suppressed in females. These results suggested that CRX has an anti-stress effect, at least, in females.