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Session: Carotenoids and Retinoids (Oral 8)

(OR08-04-23) Increase in Skin Carotenoids is Related to Greater Improvements in Cognition Among Toddlers Across Six Months

Sunday, July 23, 2023
10:36 AM – 10:48 AM ET
Location:  Commonwealth
CELA ELPC

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Laura M. Rosok, BS, BM (she/her/hers)

    Predoctoral Neuroscience Student
    University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    Urbana, Illinois, United States

    Disclosure(s): Egg Nutrition Center: Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)

    • Co-Author(s)

  • Lexi Fifield

    Laboratory Technician
    University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    Charleston, Illinois, United States

  • RS

    Rhea Sarma, MS

    Graduate Student
    University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    Champaign, Illinois, United States

  • Shelby A. Keye, PhD

    Assistant Professor
    University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    Urbana, Illinois, United States

  • AW

    Anne Walk, MA, PhD

    Eastern Illinois University
    Urbana, Illinois, United States

  • Naiman A. Khan, PhD, RD, PhD, RD

    University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    Urbana, Illinois, United States

Disclosure(s):
Laura M. Rosok, BS, BM: Egg Nutrition Center: Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)
Shelby A. Keye, PhD: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Objectives: Carotenoids are antioxidant plant pigments that accumulate in the human body and can serve as biomarkers for higher diet quality. Although carotenoid status has been associated with cognitive benefits in older children and adults, their role in cognitive development during early life is unclear. We aimed to understand the longitudinal relationship between changes in skin carotenoids and cognitive, language, and motor abilities among toddlers.

Methods: Preliminary data from the Early Life Influences on Attention Study (ELIAS) were utilized to conduct longitudinal analyses among toddlers across a six-month period (n = 49), with the first timepoint between 12-18 months (x̄= 14.3mo) and the second timepoint between 18-24 months (x̄ = 20.5mo). Skin carotenoids were measured using reflection spectroscopy (i.e., VEGGIE METER®). Cognition, receptive and expressive communication, and fine and gross motor skills were measured using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development IV Screening Test (BSID-IV). Dietary intake was recorded using the Infant Feeding Practices Survey.

Results: Pearson correlations showed that baseline skin carotenoids were positively related to daily intake frequency of fruits (r = 0.36, p < 0.01), vegetables (r = 0.40, p < 0.01), and eggs (r = 0.41, p < 0.01). Partial correlations, controlling for baseline age and changes in daily intake frequency of fruits, vegetables, and eggs, showed that skin carotenoid change scores (6-month follow-up - Baseline) were positively related to cognitive ability change scores (r = 0.52, p < 0.01), with no significant associations between skin carotenoid change scores and receptive communication (r = 0.06, p = 0.38), expressive communication (r = -0.29, p = 0.08), fine motor (r = -0.10, p = 0.33), or gross motor (r = -0.11, p = 0.30) change scores.

Conclusions: Baseline skin carotenoids were significantly related to daily intake frequency of fruits, vegetables, and eggs. Greater increase in skin carotenoids was positively associated with improvements in cognitive abilities among toddlers over a 6-month period. The domain-specificity of the findings points to the importance of carotenoid status for early cognitive development.

Funding Sources: The Egg Nutrition Center