Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41724965›Full record

ArticleNutrition & metabolism2026

Skin carotenoids indicate diet, serum carotenoids, and inflammation across obesity and metabolic status in children.

Yang Liu, Huihui Huang, Chi Sun, Wenhan Jia, Xuxiu Zhuang, Jia Zheng, Le Jiang, Yanan Ma, Bing Song, Joel Gittelsohn and 1 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Nutrition & metabolism, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Yang LiuHealth Sciences Institute, China Medical University, No.77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, 110122, Liaoning, China.
Huihui HuangHealth Sciences Institute, China Medical University, No.77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, 110122, Liaoning, China.
Chi SunExperiment Center of Science, China Medical University, Puhe Rd.77, Shenyang, 110122, Liaoning, China.
Wenhan JiaHealth Sciences Institute, China Medical University, No.77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, 110122, Liaoning, China.
Xuxiu ZhuangHealth Sciences Institute, China Medical University, No.77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, 110122, Liaoning, China.
Jia ZhengHealth Sciences Institute, China Medical University, No.77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, 110122, Liaoning, China.
Le JiangHealth Sciences Institute, China Medical University, No.77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, 110122, Liaoning, China.
Yanan MaLiaoning Key Laboratory of Obesity and Glycolipid Metabolic Diseases, Puhe Rd.77, Shenyang, 110122, Liaoning, China.
Bing SongFirst Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, 2-5 Renmin Road, Jinzhou, 121001, China.
Joel GittelsohnDepartment of International Health, Human Nutrition Center, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe St Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, 21205-2179, USA.
Deliang WenHealth Sciences Institute, China Medical University, No.77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, 110122, Liaoning, China. dlwen@cmu.edu.cn.

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China 72174208the 111 project D21008
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo validate reflection spectroscopy (RS)-based skin carotenoids (SCS) as non-invasive biomarkers of fruit and vegetable intake (FVI) in children and adolescents with obesity and metabolic dysfunction.

methodsThis case-control study (China, 2023) included 210 children and adolescents aged 7–17 years, categorized into five groups: healthy weight (n = 30), overweight (n = 23), obesity (n = 25), obesity with one metabolic disorder (n = 56), and obesity with two or more metabolic disorders (n = 76). SCS levels were measured using RS, FVI was assessed via a food frequency questionnaire, serum carotenoids were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography, and inflammatory markers were analyzed using flow cytometry.

resultsSCS and serum carotenoid levels decreased significantly across groups (p for trend < 0.001). SCS correlated strongly with serum carotenoids, except for lycopene, with the strongest association observed in children and adolescents with obesity and two or more metabolic disorders. A quartile increase in FVI resulted in an 11.92–45.98 unit increase in SCS, partially mediated by total serum carotenoids, beta-carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin. SCS also inversely correlated with inflammation in metabolically disordered groups.

conclusionsRS-based SCS is a valid, non-invasive biomarker of FVI, closely related to serum carotenoids and inflammatory status, and effectively distinguishes metabolic dysfunction in children and adolescents.

Indexed as

BiomarkersFruit and vegetable intakeMetabolic dysfunctionObesitySkin carotenoids

Identifiers

PMID41724965
PMCPMC13032390

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.