Effects of a Carrot Juice Intervention on Plasma Carotenoids, Oxidative Stress, and Inflammation in Overweight Breast Cancer Survivors

Abstract

Evidence suggests that higher plasma carotenoid concentrations are protective in relation to breast cancer recurrence. This simple randomized carrot juice intervention study was designed to test the hypothesis that daily intake of 8 ounces of fresh BetaSweet (anthocyanin-rich) or Balero orange carrot juice would increase plasma total carotenoid concentrations to levels previously shown to be associated with reduced breast cancer recurrence. It was hypothesized that regular carrot juice intake would be associated with reductions in oxidative stress (8-iso-PGF2α) and inflammation (thromboxane B2, prostaglandin E2 metabolites, and hsC-reactive protein). Sixty-nine overweight breast cancer survivors consumed fresh carrot juice made from study-provided carrots for 3 wk. Total plasma carotenoids increased by 1.65 and 1.38 umol/L for the BetaSweet and Balero carrot juice, respectively. Rise in total plasma carotenoids for the overall sample was inversely associated with 8-iso-PGFα (OR: 0.13; 95% CI: 0.20 to 0.75; no differences were shown by carrot variety. These results suggest daily intake of fresh carrot juice is a simple and effective approach to increasing plasma total carotenoids and in turn reducing oxidative stress, but not inflammatory markers, in women previously treated for breast cancer.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to thank J&D Produce (Edinburg, TX) for growing carrots in their field. We also thank Vern Hartz for the ascertainment of dietary data.

This work was supported by the United States Department of Agriculture grant, Designing Foods for Health through the Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center 2007-34402-17121 and the Arizona Cancer Center Support Grant (NIH-CCSG-CA 023074).