FIG. 3.

Translation of basic science to human health. (A) Singlet oxygen quenching by carotenoids. The original discovery of lycopene as a potent scavenger of singlet oxygen (14), shown here, was followed by translational studies demonstrating greater uptake kinetics from processed tomato products (86) and protection against skin damage from sunlight (78). (B) Individuals were given either a low-flavanol or a high-flavanol drink and studied for flow-mediated dilation (FMD) as a measure of endothelial function (left) and nitrosylated protein as a measure of bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO) (right). The results on the left show that FMD is not improved after consumption of a beverage with low flavanol content, while significant improvement occurs after a beverage with high flavanol content. On the right, results show that increased bioavailability of NO is associated with improved endothelial function (19). (C) Translation of basic research to humans is illustrated by results from a 12-week study of a high-flavanol cocoa drink. The images show how the rough skin surface profile at baseline is converted to a smooth skin surface profile by the cocoa drink. The cocoa drink was also found to decrease UV-induced erythema, increase blood flow of cutaneous and subcutaneous tissues, increase skin density and skin hydration, and decrease skin scaling (18).