However, a potential limitation of relying on serum alone is that the content in serum is transient and may not reflect xanthophyll status in neural tissue. Therefore, additional studies that assess both MPOD and serum carotenoids are necessary to clarify the impact of lutein and other carotenoids on relational memory. To our knowledge, there have been no previous studies investigating associations between both MPOD and serum xanthophylls on relational memory abilities among adults with overweight or obesity. Accordingly, this study aimed to understand whether dietary, serum, or macular levels of carotenoids were associated with relational memory function in adults that are overweight and obese. We hypothesized that macular carotenoids, assessed as MPOD, would be positively associated with relational memory performance. Additionally, we anticipated that a greater serum concentration of lutein would be associated with greater relational memory performance.