Carotenoid Biomarkers of Dietary Exposure and Nutritional Status
A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Micronutrients and Human Health".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2022) | Viewed by 19476
Special Issue Editor
Interests: carotenoids in the context diet and health / disease; fat-soluble vitamins; bioavailability; biomarkers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Carotenoids are lipophilic isoprenoid compounds synthesized by photosynthetic organism and some non-photosynthethic prokaryotes and fungi. Humans cannot synthesize carotenoids, and so they must be obtained from the diet, where a wide range of carotenes and xanthopylls are available to be absorbed. Some of them are used as precursors for the production of retinoids such as vitamin A and, in addition, carotenoids display other biological functions that may confer beneficial effect against chronic diseases (i.e., lutein in the eye and in the brain). However, positive and negative health effects have been found or are correlated with carotenoid intake and tissue concentrations, and thus, more data from human nutritional studies, including health and disease markers (preferably analytical and clinically validated), are needed to issue recommendations with regard to carotenoid intake or desired blood or tissue concentrations.
Carotenoid biomarkers, broadly divided into direct, biochemical or “analytical” markers and indirect, physiological or “functional” indicators, are a key issue in nutritional studies. In general, analytical markers of carotenoids comprise biochemical indicators of intake and/or status (short- and long-term exposure, in blood and tissues, i.e., adipose tissue, skin, macular pigment), while functional markers evaluate the effect or biological activity associated with a carotenoid or its absence which may be interpreted in terms of cumulative exposure, biological effect (bioactivity) or the modification of risk factors. Both types of marker display advantages and limitations, but, in general, a relationship exists between the type of marker, the biological specimen and the time required for a change to occur.
This Special Issue encourages the submission of original research, meta-analyses and reviews of the scientific literature on the aforementioned issues and also on methodological, host-related and modulating factors relevant in assessing and interpreting carotenoid biomarkers of nutritional dietary intake/exposure and nutritional status in human health and disease.
Dr. Begoña Olmedilla-Alonso
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- carotenes
- xanthophyll
- lutein
- zeaxanthin
- cryptoxanthin
- lycopene
- biomarker
- dietary intake assessment
- nutritional status
- blood and tissues
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.