Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Aug;53(8):712-718.
doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2021.02.002. Epub 2021 Mar 11.

Characterizing Vegetable and Fruit Intake in a Remote Alaska Native Community Using Reflection Spectroscopy and 24-Hour Recalls

Courtney M Hill  1 , Mallie J Paschall  2 , Diane M O'Brien  3 , Andrea Bersamin  4
Affiliations

Characterizing Vegetable and Fruit Intake in a Remote Alaska Native Community Using Reflection Spectroscopy and 24-Hour Recalls

Courtney M Hill et al. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2021 Aug.

Abstract

Objective: Characterize vegetable and fruit (VF) intake in a Yup'ik community using self-reported intake and skin carotenoid status (SCS) and evaluate the relationship between SCS and fish intake.

Methods: Self-reported VF intake was measured using the 24-hour recall, SCS was measured by reflection spectroscopy via the Veggie Meter (Longevity Link Corporation), and fish intake was estimated by the nitrogen isotope ratio (NIR) for 80 participants in a remote community in Southwestern Alaska. Bivariate correlations were used to assess the relationship between self-reported VF intake, SCS, and NIR.

Results: Intake of all VF subgroups was low. The SCS was higher for males (262.7 vs 185.3; P = 0.002) and participants consuming more than 1 VF serving (232.5 vs 183.0; P = 0.02). It was not associated with the NIR.

Conclusions and implications: Increasing VF intake is a way to improve diet in Yup'ik communities and the Veggie Meter is a simple and noninvasive tool to facilitate surveillance efforts.

Keywords: Alaska Native; biomarkers; carotenoids; fruit; vegetable.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Distribution of Skin Carotenoid Status Measured by Reflection Spectroscopy (n=80)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Rolls BJ. The relationship between dietary energy density and energy intake. Physiol Behav 2009;97:609–15. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Oude Griep LM, Verschuren WM, Kromhout D, Ocke MC, Geleijnse JM. Colours of fruit and vegetables and 10-year incidence of CHD. Br J Nutr 2011;106:1562–1569. - PubMed
    1. Vainio H, Weiderpass E. Fruit and vegetables in cancer prevention. Nutr Cancer 2006;54:111–42. - PubMed
    1. Bellavia A, Larsson SC, Bottai M, Wolk A, Orsini N. Fruit and vegetable consumption and all-cause mortality: a dose-response analysis. Am J Clin Nutr 2013;98:454–459. - PubMed
    1. Johnson EJ. The role of carotenoids in human health. Nutr Clin Care 2002;5:56–65. - PubMed

Publication types