Systemic Markers of Inflammation and Serum beta-Carotene Levels
This is an interesting article that shows that, as inflammation in the body rises, levels of beta-carotene fall. It is very possible that the levels fall as a result of trying to put out the metabolic fires that inflammation can cause. This adds more weight to the idea that, in nature, many substances are found and act together. Remember that beta-carotene is only one of hundreds of carotenoids, and these are all found in various combinations in nature. In may be that, as levels of one carotenoid drop with inflammation, other carotenoids help fill in the gap created.