The health benefits of fruits and vegetables are well-documented. Those rich in provitamin A carotenoids are good sources of vitamin A. This cross-sectional study indirectly assessed fruit and vegetable intakes using serum carotenoids in 193 schoolchildren aged 7 to 12 years in the Western part of Burkina Faso. The mean total serum carotenoid concentration was 0.23 ± 0.29 µmol/L, which included α- and β-carotene, lutein, and β-cryptoxanthin, and determined with serum retinol concentrations in a single analysis with high performance liquid chromatography.
Serum retinol concentration was 0.80 ± 0.35 µmol/L with 46% of children (n = 88) having low values

α-carotene; β-carotene; β-cryptoxanthin; carotenoids; lutein; provitamin A; retinol; vitamin A