To elucidate the possible role of carotenoids in the risk for developing Parkinson's disease (PD), we compared serum levels of beta-carotene, alpha-carotene and lycopene, measured by high performance liquid chromatography, of 61 PD patients using their spouses as the control group. The serum levels of these 3 carotenoids did not differ significantly between PD patients and control groups. There was no influence of antiparkinsonian therapy on serum carotenoids levels, and these did not correlate with age, age at onset, scores of the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale or the Hoehn and Yahr staging in the PD group. These results show that serum carotenoids concentrations are apparently unrelated to the risk for developing PD.