A new analysis of U.S. children and adolescents finds that higher blood levels of carotenoids are linked to lower obesity risk. Using NHANES 2017–2018 data from 1,329 participants, researchers reported that all carotenoids studied except lycopene were associated with lower BMI and reduced odds of obesity. β-carotene showed the strongest effect, while the combined carotenoid score was tied to a 52% lower risk of obesity. The findings suggest that diets rich in carotenoid-containing foods may play a protective role against excess weight in youth.
Source: https://bmcpediatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12887-025-05983-0
