Citation: Mills, J.P., Simon, P.W., Tanumihardjo, S.A. 2007. ß-Carotene from Red Carrot Maintains Vitamin A Status, but Lycopene Bioavailability Is Lower Relative to Tomato Paste in Mongolian Gerbils. Journal of Nutrition. 137:1395-1400. Interpretive Summary: Orange carrots are an important source of ß-Carotene and red tomatoes are an important source of lycopene. Both of these pigments provide not only the familiar colors of these vegetables, but they also provide health benefits for consumers. To provide these health benefits, pigments must be bioavailable, that is, able to be taken up by the gut during the digestive process. Red carrots provide both of these pigments and this study evaluated the boavailability of these pigments in gerbils, an animal model with nutrient uptake qualities similar to humans. This research found that both pigments are bioavailable, so the health benefits from both of them can be realized by eating red carrots, but bioavailability of lycopene was reduced when present along with ß-Carotene. This research is of interest to plant scientists studying pigments, to nutritionists, to vegetable growers, and consumers.