Skip to main content
NUTRITION 2025 Main banner

Carotenoids and Retinoids: Insights into Immunity, Distribution, and Status Across Lifespan (Oral Session 4)

(OR04-05-25) Dietary Carotenoids Intake and Gut Microbiome Signatures in Chinese Older Adults

Sunday, June 1, 2025
9:18 AM – 9:30 AM ET
Location: S230 CD

    Presenting Author(s)

  • JS

    Jie Shen, PhD candidate

    PhD student
    Zhejiang University
    Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China (People's Republic)

    Disclosure(s): No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

    • Co-Author(s)

  • GH

    Gulisiya Hailili, Public health physician qualification certificate

    Zhejiang University School of Medicine
    hangzhou, Zhejiang, China (People's Republic)

  • Liyan Huang

    School of Public Health, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine
    Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China (People's Republic)

  • YZ

    Yan Zheng

    Fudan University, China (People's Republic)

  • CY

    Changzheng Yuan, ScD

    School of Public Health, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou

Objectives: Carotenoids exert a rich variety of physiological functions in mammals and are beneficial for human health. However, the role that carotenoid intake plays in shaping the human gut microbiome is poorly understood. This study aimed to delineate gut microbiome signatures of dietary carotenoids among older adults.

Methods: We conducted the study among Chinese adults aged 70 years and older based on the Rugao Longevity and Ageing Study (RuLAS) in 2021. Average daily intakes of total dietary carotenoids, provitamin A carotenoids (α-carotene, β-carotene, and β-cryptoxanthin), and non-provitamin A carotenoids (lutein-zeaxanthin, and lycopene) were assessed using a 36-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The α and β diversity and composition of the gut microbiome were classified based on metagenomic sequencing of fecal samples. Associations of carotenoid and subgroup intake with microbiota α diversity, β diversity, and log-ratio-transformed microbial species were evaluated using multivariable-adjusted linear regression.

Results: Among 682 participants (mean age of 80 ± 4.7 years), the median daily intake of total carotenoids, provitamin A carotenoids, and non-provitamin A carotenoids were 11 mg/d (IQR, 10-11), 5.2 mg/d (IQR, 4.9-5.7), and 5.4 mg/d (IQR, 5.1-5.7), respectively. Total carotenoid and provitamin A carotenoid intake were associated with microbiota α diversity (Richness and Chao index) (P < 0.001) after adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle variables. Provitamin A carotenoid intake was additionally associated with microbiota β diversity (P < 0.001). Carotenoid from vegetables and fruit were associated with microbial species involved in gut metabolism and immune function, including enriched Megamonas funiformis, Firmicutes bacterium CAG_170, Intestinimonas butyriciproducens, Hungatella hathewayi, Clostridium sp. CAG_510, and Clostridium sp. CAG_253 (FDR <0.25).

Conclusions: The study underscore the importance of dietary carotenoids in shaping the gut microbiome and suggest potential pathways through which carotenoid-rich diets may contribute to better health outcomes in aging populations.

Funding Sources: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.