Fasting Blood Carotene Level in Normal and Diabetic Individuals

Abstract

In the course of a study on the effect of the oral administration of carotene on the blood carotene of normal and diabetic individuals, we investigated the fasting blood carotene level in these 2 groups. The number of figures available on this subject are still somewhat limited, and are mostly single observations taken at random. 1 , 2 , 3 Rabinowitch 4 in a study of carotinemia in diabetes does not report the figures for blood carotene as mg. % but in units, so that the actual figures are difficult to compare with those of other observers.

The diabetic patients studied were on a known diet of carbohydrate, protein and fat. The normals were on a mixed diet from which carrots were omitted, as was the case in the diabetic diets. Fasting bloods were taken. The serum carotene was estimated by the method of White and Gordon 2 and is reported in mg. %. Blood cholesterols were done by the Bloor colorimetric method. 5 Nine normals were observed (Table I) and 19 diabetics (Table II). At least 3 determinations were done on each patient. In all; 35 observations were made on normals and 83 on diabetics. The results on the normals analyzed according to Dunn 6 show the average fasting normal serum carotene to be 0.109 mg. % with a standard deviation of ±0.104. The limits then would be 0.213 mg. % and 0.005 mg. %. All of our observations fell within these limits so that the figures may be considered significant. In the diabetics the average fasting serum carotene was 0.262 mg. % with a standard deviation of ±.112. The limits are then 0.374 and 0.150 mg. %. Seventy-four percent of the figures fall within the average ± the standard deviation. Ninety-five percent fall within twice and 99% within 3 times the standard deviation.