The Study
Extraction of carotenoids from feces, enabling the bioavailability of beta-carotene to be studied in Indonesian children.
This study is like taking a quick snapshot of how much of a nutrient ends up in poop after kids eat certain foods. It can help scientists see what’s happening, but it can’t prove that one food causes better absorption than another.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
Scientists wanted to know how well kids can use vitamin A from pumpkin and spinach. Instead of taking blood, they used poop to measure it — which is easier and doesn’t hurt. They gave kids special pumpkin or spinach with a label that shows how much vitamin A their body absorbs.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 533 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Even though pumpkin seems better, the number varies a lot between kids — some get much more, some don’t.
- 2But overall, pumpkin is a stronger source of vitamin A than spinach.
- 3Pumpkin gave 1.8 times more usable vitamin A than spinach when measured in poop.
- 4Blood tests showed almost the same — 1.7 times more.
- 5The poop test works well and is easier for kids.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of agricultural and food chemistry
Year
2003
Authors
M. van Lieshout, C. West, P. van de Bovenkamp, Yan Wang, Yongkai Sun, R. V. van Breemen, Dewi Permaesih Muhilal, M. Verhoeven, A. Creemers, J. Lugtenburg
Related Content
Claims (3)
Scientists made a new way to measure how well kids absorb vitamin A from pumpkin or spinach by testing their poop — no needles needed!
In Indonesian kids, pumpkin gives the body about 1.8 times more vitamin A (from beta-carotene) than spinach does, but some kids get way more and others way less — it really varies from person to person.
Kids absorb beta-carotene from pumpkin and spinach differently, and poop tests show almost the same difference as blood tests—so maybe we can use poop instead of blood to check nutrition without needing a needle.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.