Associations Between Carotenoid Status, Visual Outcomes and Cognitive Metrics in Children: A Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND

Carotenoid components have a role in maintaining eye and brain development and function in children.

OBJECTIVES

This scoping review collates the current knowledge about the benefits of carotenoids in improving visual and cognitive function outcomes in children.

DESIGN

This review includes observational and interventional published studies to date (January 2026) through a literature search on PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Mendeley, and Google Scholar database platforms. We have described and measured carotenoid status in diet, serum, skin, and human milk in relation to eye and cognitive development and function in children.

RESULTS

Human body carotenoids, α-carotene, β-carotene, lycopene, cryptoxanthin, lutein, and zeaxanthin, have been detected in significant amounts in the brain, whereas the xanthophylls lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso-zeaxanthin, are found in the eyes. Lutein, zeaxanthin, and retinoids in the ocular tissue are responsible for visual function and have been associated with visual neurocognitive skills in children. In addition, lutein, zeaxanthin, and β-carotene have been associated with cognitive function tasks in infants and children.

CONCLUSIONS

This review shows emerging evidence on the benefits of carotenoids in children, primarily from cross-sectional studies and longitudinal cohort studies. We found a paucity of carotenoid intervention and controlled trials for direct carotenoid exposure and its relative effect on neurocognitive function and visual milestone development during early life. Additionally, further long-term studies are required to confirm carotenoid exposure in early life and its benefits to eye health and cognitive skills outcomes in later life.