Sight and Life Magazine 1/2011

SIGHT AND LIFE | VOL. 25 (1) | 2011 NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN CAROTENOIDS RESEARCH 6767New Developmentsin Carotenoids ResearchConference at Tufts University, Boston, USA,11–12 March 2011Peter EngelDSM Nutritional Products on behalf of Sight and Life,Basel, SwitzerlandIntroductionWith its copious research and development (R&D) activities andpassion for innovation, DSM is an authority on nutrition science,supporting multiple activities dedicated to the field of nutrition.The company regularly brings together scientists from academiaand industry, as well as experts from health authorities, to communicateand advocate for the role of micronutrients in humanhealth. In March 2011, an international group of leading researchersin the growing field of carotenoids met at Tufts University,Boston, USA, for an information-packed, two-day conference on“New Developments in Carotenoids Research.” Jointly organizedby Tufts University and DSM, and presented by The Jean MayerUSDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA), theconference featured keynotes from global experts on the roleof -carotene, lycopene, lutein and zeaxanthin, as well as vitaminA in human health. The about 150 participants experienceda high-level conference where the “Who’s Who” in carotenoidand vitamin A science shared latest research findings.DSM is continuing to support carotenoid science events withthe “Macular Carotenoids & AMD” conference in Cambridge,UK (www.macularcarotenoids.org) and the “16th InternationalSymposium on Carotenoids” in Krakow, Poland (www.carotenoid.pl).more instances of unnecessary death and blindness every year.-carotene is an important, but insufficient source of vitamin Aamong poor populations, which accounts for the widespreadnature of vitamin A deficiency. It has only recently become apparentthat the bioconversion of traditional dietary sources of-carotene to vitamin A is much less efficient than previouslysupposed. The other major carotenoids, particularly lycopene,lutein and zeaxanthin, have been found to have important“The use of systematic reviews willbe essential to provide harmonizationand transparency in the process ofdeveloping intake recommendations”Summary of selected key lecturesIn his keynote lecture, Alfred Sommer (Johns Hopkins University,USA) gave a global clinical overview on vitamin A and carotenoids.The clinical importance of vitamin A as an essentialnutrient has become increasingly clear. Adequate vitamin A isrequired for normal organogenesis, immune competence, tissuedifferentiation and the visual cycle. Deficiency, widespreadthroughout the developing world, is responsible for a million orCo-Chair, Dr Simin Meydani welcomingeveryone to HNRCA