# Validation of biomarkers of infant and toddler carotenoid intake

> **NIH NIH R01** · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · 2024 · $615,034

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Valid biomarkers of dietary fruit & vegetable intake can improve our understanding of the linkages between
infants’ and toddlers’ dietary intakes and health outcomes. Eating a variety of fruits & vegetables provides
energy, vitamins, minerals, and non-nutrient bioactives, and is associated with health benefits across the
lifespan. Introducing fruits & vegetables in infancy and toddlerhood supports their nutritional requirements and
lays the foundation for a long-term healthy dietary pattern. However, it is challenging for researchers and
organizations to easily and accurately monitor the fruit & vegetable intake of young children. A new application
of reflection spectroscopy may offer a non-invasive means by which infant and toddler carotenoid and fruit &
vegetable intake can be easily monitored. The technology measures the amount of carotenoids in the skin.
Carotenoids are fat-soluble pigments found in red, orange, yellow, and dark-green fruits & vegetables. Some
carotenoids convey pro-vitamin A activity, and are associated with visual and cognitive function and reduced
risks of adverse cardiovascular outcomes and some cancers. However, whether skin carotenoid measurement
is as reliable as the currently gold-standard measure of population fruit & vegetable intake, plasma carotenoid
concentrations, must be determined. Further, whether carotenoid intake in young children is associated with
visual function, a key bioactivity hypothesized for this population, is unknown. The purpose of this project is to
evaluate the validity of skin carotenoid measurement for estimation of infant and toddler fruit & vegetable and
carotenoid intake. Infants and toddlers will be longitudinally observed across solid food introduction and the
agreement between skin carotenoid measures with plasma carotenoids and reported carotenoid and fruit &
vegetable intake will be assessed. In a second study, the association between skin carotenoid measurement
with toddlers’ carotenoid concentrations, plasma carotenoids, and reported fruit & vegetable and carotenoid
intake will be observed at baseline, and then toddlers will be randomized to consume a controlled dietary
carotenoid intervention for 4 weeks to define the sensitivity of skin carotenoid measurement to detect changes
in dietary carotenoid intake. In a third study, we will define the associations of carotenoid intake with visual
function in toddlers and infants. This project will both define whether reflection spectroscopy is a valid measure
of infant and toddler fruit & vegetable intake and carotenoid intake, and will yield fundamental knowledge of the
determinants of and biological correlates of infant and toddler dietary carotenoid exposure.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10835033
- **Project number:** 5R01HD111555-02
- **Recipient organization:** BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Nancy E Moran
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $615,034
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-05-01 → 2028-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10835033

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10835033, Validation of biomarkers of infant and toddler carotenoid intake (5R01HD111555-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10835033. Licensed CC0.

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