Carrots owe their health benefits to their richness in carotenoids, vitamin A and fiber. Carotenoids are compounds with antioxidant properties, therefore capable of neutralizing free radicals. These are very reactive molecules that are believed to be involved in the appearance of certain cancers, cardiovascular diseases and diseases linked to aging, such as cataracts. Several carotenoids are precursors of vitamin A (the body converts them into vitamin A as needed). And the essential characteristic of the carrot being its very high content in provitamin A (carotene): the consumption of 100 g of carrots covers more than half of the daily need for vitamin A. Among the 600 carotenoids existing on earth, the main ones found in carrot (raw, cooked or juice) are ß-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin.
Beneficial action against certain cancers
Beta-carotene has indisputable antioxidant activity in vitro that is to say on cell cultures. It neutralizes singlet oxygen (O2), cleans peroxyl radicals and prevents peroxidation of fats. The mechanism by which it works is not clear. Go for the 당근 now.
- The risk of developing lung cancer drops by 40% in people who eat two to four servings of carrots per week, compared to those who do not. This risk is even 60% lower with a consumption of five or more servings of carrots per week. Similarly, women who eat two or more servings of carrots per week have a 44% lower risk of developing breast cancer than those who do not [3]. Consuming foods containing carotenoids could therefore help reduce the risk of developing certain cancers. How? ‘Or’ What? Foods containing carotenoids are thought to decrease oxidative damage to DNA [4], the very ones that increase the risk of cancer.
Joint work by a research team from the University of Southern Denmark in cooperation with the Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences and the University of Newcastle (United Kingdom) shows that the carrot has a particular anticarcinogenic potential thanks to falcarinol. While specialists thought it was beta-carotene that had an inhibitory effect on colon cancer, the study showed that it is in fact an antifungal that the carrot secretes: falcarinol. The researchers subjected 24 rats with induced precancerous lesions in the colon to three different diets: a normal diet, one group with raw carrots (orange variety) and another with falcarinol, to the same amounts as the animals receiving the carrots. floods. The results show, after 18 weeks, that the animals in the “carrot” and “falcarinol” groups develop approximately one third fewer tumors than those in the control group.
Falcarinol is an antifungal that the carrot secretes to protect itself from certain attacks, it prevents in particular the appearance of certain black spots during its conservation. Little is yet known about the falcarinol content of carrots, it probably depends on the variety, as well as the growing conditions.
Reduces the risk of stroke
After coronary heart disease, ischemic stroke (caused by a blood clot or narrowing of the arteries in the brain) is the most common form of cardiovascular disease. Studies have found that high consumption of fruits and vegetables, rich in antioxidant carotenoids, were associated with a lower risk of ischemic stroke. Researchers analyzed the blood levels of carotenoids in two groups of men: 297 doctors who suffered from ischemic stroke and 297 control subjects. All subjects participated in the large Physician ‘Health Study and were followed for 13 years.The results showed that men who consumed the highest amounts of alpha-carotene had a 41% lower risk of stroke than those who consumed the lowest amounts. Similarly, the highest consumption of beta-carotene was associated with a 38% lower risk, and those of lycopene with a 39% lower risk.