2022 journal article

Carotenoids in orange carrots mitigate non-alcoholic fatty liver disease progression

FRONTIERS IN NUTRITION, 9.

By: E. Balbuena n, J. Cheng n & A. Eroglu n 

author keywords: phytochemicals; nutrition; beta-oxidation; nuclear receptors; lipid metabolism
TL;DR: Carotenoids in the orange carrots reduced HFD-induced weight gain, better than white carrots, and may display more potent efficacy in mitigating NAFLD than those with low carotenoid levels. (via Semantic Scholar)
UN Sustainable Development Goal Categories
3. Good Health and Well-being (Web of Science; OpenAlex)
Source: Web Of Science
Added: October 24, 2022

BackgroundCarotenoids are abundant in colored fruits and vegetables. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a global burden and risk factor for end-stage hepatic diseases. This study aims to compare the anti-NAFLD efficacy between carotenoid-rich and carotenoid-deficient vegetables.Materials and methodsMale C57BL/6J mice were randomized to one of four experimental diets for 15 weeks (n = 12 animals/group): Low-fat diet (LFD, 10% calories from fat), high-fat diet (HFD, 60% calories from fat), HFD with 20% white carrot powders (HFD + WC), or with 20% orange carrot powders (HFD + OC).ResultsWe observed that carotenoids in the orange carrots reduced HFD-induced weight gain, better than white carrots. Histological and triglyceride (TG) analyses revealed significantly decreased HFD-induced hepatic lipid deposition and TG content in the HFD + WC group, which was further reduced in the HFD + OC group. Western blot analysis demonstrated inconsistent changes of fatty acid synthesis-related proteins but significantly improved ACOX-1 and CPT-II, indicating that orange carrot carotenoids had the potential to inhibit NAFLD by improving β-oxidation. Further investigation showed significantly higher mRNA and protein levels of PPARα and its transcription factor activity.ConclusionCarotenoid-rich foods may display more potent efficacy in mitigating NAFLD than those with low carotenoid levels.