Moran Lab Research Projects

Introducing fruits and vegetables in infancy and toddlerhood supports their nutritional requirements and lays the foundation for a long-term healthy dietary pattern. However, it is challenging for researchers and organizations to easily and accurately monitor the fruit and vegetable intake of young children. The purpose of this study is to determine whether non-invasive skin measurements may serve as biomarkers of dietary carotenoid intake in young children.

Carotenoids are orange, red, and yellow pigments found in fruits and vegetables, and some carotenoids can be converted to vitamin A in the body. Consumption of carotenoid-rich fruits and vegetables and higher levels of carotenoids in blood have been associated with reduced inflammation, improved visual and cognitive function, and reduced risk of cancers and cardiovascular disease. We are studying the role of carotenoids in promoting maternal health during pregnancy and lactation. We are also investigating how a mother's carotenoid status during lactation affects her nursing infant's carotenoid status. Results will be used to understand how specific food components consumed during pregnancy and lactation affect maternal and infant health. Supported by United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service CRIS 3092-51000-059-NEW2S.

The Moran Lab is collaborating with investigators at East Carolina University (PI: Stephanie Jilcott Pitts, Ph.D.) and University of Minnesota (PI: Melissa Laska, Ph.D.) to study the validity and sensitivity of non-invasively measured skin carotenoids as an estimate of fruit and vegetable consumption in diverse adults. The Moran lab contributes expertise in carotenoid pharmacokinetics, carotenoid measurement, and human genetic determinants of dietary carotenoid response variability. Results will help us to understand if this rapid measure of carotenoid status offers a valid estimate of dietary intake. Supported by the National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute R01 HL142544 (PI: Pitts, East Carolina University and Laska, University of Minnesota)

Carotenoids are fat-soluble pigments found in red, orange, yellow, and dark green fruits and vegetables (F&Vs), but also found in human milk. Carotenoids confer anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, and some can be converted to vitamin A to support healthy growth, vision, and immune function in infants. Carotenoids are so abundant in early milk, that they actually give the characteristic golden color to colostrum, and are present in milk of all lactation stages. Yet, the dietary and individual factors that determine human milk carotenoid profiles are existing gaps in knowledge. The purpose of this study is to determine the relative importance of maternal diet, maternal carotenoid status (plasma carotenoid concentrations), maternal body composition, and lactation stage as determinants of milk carotenoid composition.