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Title: DIGESTION AND INTESTINAL ABSORPTION OF DIETARY CAROTENOIDS AND VITAMIN A.

Author
item ALEXANDRINE, DURING - JOHNS HOPKING, BALTO., MD
item Harrison, Earl

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/7/2006
Publication Date: 5/5/2006
Citation: Alexandrine, D., Harrison, E.H. 2006. Digestion and intestinal absorption of dietary carotenoids and vitamin A. In: Johnson, L. Ed. Physiology of the Gastrointestinal Tract. Elsevier Publishing. Chapter 69; pp 1735-1751.

Interpretive Summary: Dr. Harrison was invited to write this chapter for a major medical textbook on gastrointestinal physiolgy. In it, he reviews the current state of knowledge of the digestion and intestinal absorption of dietary carotenoids and vitamin A.

Technical Abstract: Vitamin A deficiency affects more than 100 million children throughout the world. Thus, knowledge about the mechanisms of absorption of vitamin A can lead to better approaches for enhancing its absorption and could be helpful in ameliorating some of the deficiencies. The major sources of vitamin A in human diet are the provitamin A carotenoids in fruits and vegetables and the retinyl esters found in foods of animal origin. In humans, carotenoids are either cleaved to generate retinol or absorbed intact. In contrast, retinyl esters are completely hydrolyzed in the intestinal lumen and free retinol is taken up by enterocytes. The intestinal absorption and metabolism of dietary carotenoids has been the subject of recent reviews, as have the biochemical and molecular mechanisms involved in the digestion and absorption of vitamin A.