Clinical Trial: Beta-carotene Absorption and Bioconversion to Vitamin A From Biofortified Cassava Gari

Study Status: Completed
Recruit Status: Completed
Study Type: Interventional

Official Title: Beta-carotene Absorption and Bioconversion to Vitamin A in a Biofortified Cassava Gari Meal and a White Cassava Gari Meal With Added Red Palm Oil

Brief Summary: The goal of the research study is to determine the absorption, metabolism, and bioconversion of carotenoids such as beta-carotene to vitamin A from gari made with biofortified cassava compared to a mixture of red palm oil and gari made from typical white cassava.

Detailed Summary:

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a major public health problem in most of the developing world, especially Southern Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. The primary issue in vitamin A deficient populations is the low vitamin A content of the diet. Beta-carotene is the most abundant provitamin A carotenoid in nature and in human tissues. Increasing the concentrations of bioavailable vitamin A-forming carotenoids in staple foods by selective breeding is a good strategy for improving vitamin A status. Cassava, bred to contain high amounts of vitamin A-forming carotenoids is one such food, since it is a staple crop in Africa and parts of South America. A popular cassava product Africa is gari, which is fermented, dewatered, milled, and roasted so that it can be used for porridges and in baking. However, the effect of feeding biofortified gari meals on carotenoid and vitamin A concentrations in the body is not known. A common practice is to add red palm oil to typical white cassava gari. Red palm oil is a very rich source of alpha-carotene and beta-carotene, in highly bioavailable forms. Unfortunately, little is known of the bioconversion of red palm oil cassava mixture carotenoids to vitamin A.

The primary purpose of this study is to determine the effect of consuming gari that is made from biofortified cassava on carotenoid and vitamin A concentrations. The investigators will compare carotenoid and vitamin A concentrations in individuals fed biofortified gari to the same individuals fed gari made from ordinary cassava. The investigators hypothesis is that the biofortified gari will increase carotenoid and vitamin A concentrations in triacylglycerol-rich plasma (TRL). The secondary purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of a meal of high carotenoid red palm oil added to typical white gari on carotenoids and vitamin A. Adding red palm oil to white gari should be an effective m
Sponsor: USDA, Western Human Nutrition Research Center

Current Primary Outcome: Change in vitamin A in triacylglycerol-rich lipoprotein (TRL) fraction of plasma [ Time Frame: 2, 3.5, 5, 7.25, and 9.5 hours after a meal ]

Original Primary Outcome: Same as current

Current Secondary Outcome: Change in carotenoids in triacylglycerol-rich lipoprotein (TRL) fraction of plasma [ Time Frame: 2, 3.5, 5, 7.25, and 9.5 hours after a meal ]

Original Secondary Outcome: Same as current

Information By: USDA, Western Human Nutrition Research Center

Dates:
Date Received: August 1, 2014
Date Started: July 2014
Date Completion:
Last Updated: January 9, 2015
Last Verified: January 2015