Abstract
The serum β-carotene concentration was measured by high performance liquid chromatography in anorexia nervosa (A. N.) patients who had taken a large quantity of seaweed such as tangle, toasted laver and wakame seaweed. The A. N. patients of twin sisters had the same findings of hypothyroidism which often accompany A. N. cases, and etiologically unknown yellow-tinged skin and enlarged goiter. Patient blood specimens were taken on the seventh and thirtieth days following the withdrawal of seaweed from their diets.
On the seventh day, the serum β-carotene concentrations were 2.2μg/ml in one patient and 2.9μg/ml in another. On the thirtieth day, the former and the latter decreased to 0.5μg/ml and 0.8μg/ml, respectively. Both symptoms of yellow-tinged skin and enlarged goiter improved with the decrease in these concentrations. These recoveries seemed to be influenced by the withdrawal of seaweed from their diets, and also due to an improvement in the hypothyroidism which had been caused by nutritional problems.
