Associations of serum β-carotene and retinol concentrations with insulin resistance: The Toon Health Study

•This study found that higher serum β-carotene was associated with higher intake of green and yellow vegetables, and also was associated with lower risk for insulin resistance.•This study suggested that higher serum β-carotene have a potential protective effect against insulin resistance.•We conducted oral glucose tolerance tests and assessed insulin resistance using by 1- and 2-h postloaded serum insulin and glucose levels.