Carotenoids and heart risk markers in menopausal women
What it found
In 12 peri- and post-menopausal women, four weeks of extra carotenoids from food lowered LDL cholesterol and raised HDL cholesterol.
Blood levels of carotenoids more than doubled.
What they found
Studies in people
Cholesterol changes
After 4 weeks, LDL cholesterol fell and HDL cholesterol rose. A combined measure of artery-clogging risk also dropped.
Carotenoid blood levels
Carotenoids in the blood more than doubled, rising from 0.56 µg/mL at the start to 1.22 µg/mL at the end.
Inflammation and oxidative stress
Markers of inflammation and oxidative stress improved. C-reactive protein and malonaldehyde went down, while adiponectin went up.
Blood vessel markers unchanged
Two markers of blood vessel damage stayed the same. Total antioxidant capacity did not change either.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that adding carotenoids to the diet raised carotenoid levels in the blood.
- They say this dietary change lowered harmful cholesterol patterns and improved markers of inflammation and oxidative stress.
- The authors suggest these shifts point to a lower risk of heart and metabolic problems.
How it was done
Women going through or past menopause tend to gain weight around their organs, which raises the chance of heart and metabolic problems. The authors wanted to see if eating more carotenoids could change blood markers linked to that risk.
Twelve peri- and post-menopausal women with at least one heart risk factor but no prior heart disease took part. For 4 weeks they added orange-carrot juice, tomato juice, and boiled spinach to their meals. This gave them 415 mg of total carotenoids each week.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- Only 12 women took part, so the results may not apply to everyone.
- There was no comparison group without the extra foods, so other factors might explain the changes.
- Four weeks is too short to know if these marker shifts prevent actual heart disease over time.
The paper
- Title
- [Influence of dietary carotenoids on biomarkers of cardiometabolic risk in peri- and post-menopausal women]
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Tomás Luiz A, Martín Pozuelo G, González Navarro I, et al (2021). [Influence of dietary carotenoids on biomarkers of cardiometabolic risk in peri- and post-menopausal women]. Nutricion hospitalaria. doi:10.20960/nh.03624PubMed 34281348DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error