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carotenoid |
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carotenoidAny of a group of yellow, orange, red, or brown pigments found in many living organisms, particularly in the chloroplasts of plants. There are two main types, the carotenes and the xanthophylls. Both types are long-chain lipids (fats). Some carotenoids act as accessory pigments in photosynthesis, and in certain algae they are the principal light-absorbing pigments functioning more efficiently than chlorophyll in low-intensity light. Carotenoids can also occur in organs such as petals, roots, and fruits, giving them their characteristic colour, as in the yellow and orange petals of wallflowers Cheiranthus. They are also responsible for the autumn colours of leaves, persisting longer than the green chlorophyll, which masks them during the summer. |
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? Mentioned in | ? References in periodicals archive | |
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They acquire their pink color by eating shrimp, plankton, and other foods that contain carotenoids [pigments found in plants and animals]. After adjusting for race, sex, and age (plus serum total cholesterol in the case of serum carotenoids and vitamin E), blood lead and urinary cadmium levels both showed graded associations, positive with serum GGT and inverse with serum vitamin C, carotenoids, and vitamin E (p for trend < 0. A small study reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that we all need a small amount of fat to absorb the disease-fighting carotenoids found in the raw vegetables tossed in the salad. |
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