Carotenoids, @entity1501 and @entity620 may contribute to the observed beneficial effects of increased vegetable intake. Currently, knowledge on the bioavailability of these compounds from vegetables is limited. We compared the efficacy of different vegetables, at the same level of intake (i.e. 300 g/d), in increasing plasma levels of carotenoids, @entity1501 and @entity620 and we investigated if disruption of the vegetable matrix would enhance the bioavailability of these micronutrients. In an @entity616 , sixty-nine volunteers consumed a control meal without vegetables and three out of four vegetable meals (i.e. broccoli, green @entity3587 , whole leaf @entity2772 , chopped @entity2772 ; containing between 1.7 and 24.6 mg @entity2066 , 3.8 and 26 mg @entity8665 , 0.22 and 0.60 mg @entity1501 and 26 and 93 mg @entity620 ) or a meal supplemented with synthetic @entity2066 (33.3 mg). Meals were consumed for 4 d and fasting blood samples were taken at the end of each period. Consumption of the @entity2772 -supplemented meal did not affect plasma levels of @entity2066 , although the @entity2066 content was 10-fold those of broccoli and green @entity3587 , which induced significant increases in plasma @entity2066 levels (28 (95% CI 6.4, 55)% and 26 (95% CI 2.6, 54)% respectively). The @entity2066 -supplemented meal increased plasma concentrations of @entity2066 effectively (517 (95% CI 409, 648)%). All vegetable meals increased the plasma concentrations of @entity8665 and @entity620 significantly. Broccoli and green @entity3587 were, when expressed per mg carotenoid consumed, also more effective sources of @entity8665 than @entity2772 . A significant increase in plasma @entity1501 concentration was found only after consumption of the @entity2772 -supplemented meal, which provided the highest level of @entity1501 . Disruption of the @entity2772 matrix increased the plasma responses to both @entity8665 (14 (95% CI 3.7, 25)%) and @entity1501 (10 (95% CI 2.2, 18)%), whereas it did not affect the response to @entity2066 . We conclude that the bioavailabilities of @entity2066 and @entity8665 vary substantially among different vegetables and that the bioavailabilities of @entity8665 and @entity1501 from @entity2772 can be improved by disruption of the vegetable matrix.

Influence of feeding different vegetables on plasma levels of carotenoids, XXXX and @entity620 . Effect of disruption of the vegetable matrix.

@entity1501 :: ('MESH:D005492', 'Chemical') :: ['folate'] @entity8665 :: ('MESH:D014975', 'Chemical') :: ['lutein'] @entity2066 :: ('MESH:D019207', 'Chemical') :: ['beta-carotene'] @entity2772 :: ('3562', 'Species') :: ['spinach'] @entity620 :: ('MESH:D001205', 'Chemical') :: ['vitamin C'] @entity3587 :: ('3888', 'Species') :: ['peas'] @entity616 :: ('MESH:D006327', 'Disease') :: ['incomplete block design']
@entity1501 :: (MESH:D005492,Chemical) :: ['folate']
