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ARS Home » Plains Area » Houston, Texas » Children's Nutrition Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #389035
Research Project: Nutritional Role of Phytochemicals

Location: Children's Nutrition Research Center

Title: Recommendations for the use of the veggie meter for spectroscopy-based skin carotenoid measurements in the research setting

Author
item RADTKE, MARCELA - University Of California, Davis
item POE, MYKAELA - University Of California, Davis
item STOOKEY, JODI - San Francisco Department Of Public Health
item JILCOTT PITTS, STEPHANIE - East Carolina University
item MORAN, NANCY - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item LANDRY, MATTHEW - Stanford University
item RUBIN, LEWIS - Georgetown University Medical Center
item SCHERR, RACHEL - University Of California, Davis

Submitted to: Current Developments in Nutrition
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/22/2021
Publication Date: 7/29/2021
Citation: Radtke, M.D., Poe, M., Stookey, J., Jilcott Pitts, S., Moran, N.E., Landry, M.J., Rubin, L.P., Scherr, R.E. 2021. Recommendations for the use of the veggie meter for spectroscopy-based skin carotenoid measurements in the research setting. Current Developments in Nutrition. 5(8). Article nzab104. https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzab104.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzab104

Interpretive Summary: Carotenoids are colorful, fat-soluble compounds found predominantly in fruits and vegetables. When people eat carotenoids in foods, some of the carotenoids are deposited in their skin, and the amount of carotenoids can be measuring optically through a quick, non-invasive measurement. A commercial device called the Veggie Meter is being increasingly used for this purpose, but measurements are being collected in different manners by different research groups. This study describes a protocol for using the Veggie Meter for skin carotenoid measurement and the acceptability of this protocol to a group of current Veggie Meter users in the scientific community. Standardizing a protocol for measuring nutritional biomarker measurements can help to make results comparable across studies and populations.

Technical Abstract: Carotenoids are a class of phytochemical compounds found in a variety of fruits and vegetables (F/V) and therefore, are commonly used as a biomarker for F/V intake. The Veggie Meter is a non-invasive research-grade instrument that detects and quantifies carotenoids in the skin. In order to determine current practices and examine variability among users, a survey was administered to researchers using the Veggie Meter (n = 19, response rate = 35.8%) and variation in anatomical site preparation, calibration, number of measurements, measurement site, and documentation was observed. A protocol was developed in partnership with Veggie Meter users to outline the preparation, calibration, and data collection procedures for using this device for research purposes. This standardized protocol supports the development of a universal data repository to establish usual observed ranges specific to age, sex, body mass index, and additional variables to examine associations between skin carotenoid scores and diet-related health outcomes.