My dataset contains carotenoid intakes for the six carotenoids measured in NHANES:

• Alpha carotene
• Beta carotene
• Beta cryptoxanthin
• Lycopene
• Lutein
• Zeaxanthin

The issue is that I have been able to compare vitamin intakes with recommendations from the Institute of Medicine, however there are no recognized recommendations for the carotenoids. Carotenoid intakes and levels in the body can been seen as a marker for fruit and vegetable consumption. Therefore, I thought that the best approach would be to look at carotenoid intakes in people meeting recommendations for fruit and vegetable consumption. There has been a recent publication in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association that actually looked at this in the NHANES data from 2003-2006. My data goes up until 2008 however I don’t expect to see any major changes if an extra survey cycle is included. The authors compare carotenoid intakes between people meeting fruit and vegetable recommended intakes. This can make a suitable basis to work out the percentage of the US population not consuming enough carotenoids.

Here is the reference and link: Murphy MM, Barraj LM, Herman D, Bi X, Cheatham R, Randolph RK. Phytonutrient intake by adults in the United States in relation to fruit and vegetable consumption. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2012 Feb;112(2):222-9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22741166

I now have my calculator online but there are a few adjustments that still need to be made. I hope that I will be able to start user testing within a week!