Eating this many carrots a week provides ‘significant’ health benefits

By Stephen Beech via SWNS

Eating baby carrots three times a week provides “significant” health benefits, according to a new study.

Researchers found that snacking on the veg increased skin carotenoids in young adults.

Levels of the phytonutrients were boosted even more when the healthy snack was combined with a multivitamin containing the carotenoid beta carotene.

Carotenoids – which are responsible for the bright red, orange and yellow colors of many fruits and veg – can be measured in the skin to gauge fruit and vegetable consumption since diet is the only source of the pigments.

Higher levels of skin carotenoids are associated with increased antioxidant protection and a lower risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and certain cancers.

The marker also reflects improved skin health and immune function, say American scientists.

Research leader Mary Harper Simmons said: “Previous studies have demonstrated that skin carotenoid levels can be increased by consuming three times the recommended serving of fruits and vegetables every day for three weeks.

“Our findings suggest that a small, simple dietary modification – incorporating baby carrots as a snack – can significantly increase skin carotenoid accumulation.”

For the study, the research team randomly assigned 60 young adults to groups that received a four-week intervention of either Granny Smith apple slices, 100 grams – about half a cup – of baby carrots, a multivitamin supplement containing beta carotene or a combination of baby carrots and the supplement.

Before and after the study period, the researchers used a non-invasive research-grade spectroscopy instrument called a ‘VeggieMeter’ to detect and quantify carotenoids in the skin of the participants.

They found that compared to pre-intervention levels, skin carotenoid scores were “significantly” increased by 10.8% in the group receiving the baby carrots and by 21.6% in the group receiving the carrots and the supplement.

Skin carotenoid levels were not changed in the control group who ate the apple slices or in those receiving only the supplement.

Simmons, a Master of Science in Nutrition student at Samford University, said: “We found that the combination of baby carrots and a multivitamin supplement that contains beta carotene can have an interactive effect on skin carotenoid accumulation.”

She added: “To get a beneficial effect, people should choose a multivitamin that contains beta carotene, and remember to eat baby carrots at least three times a week.”

The researchers say that since carotenoid accumulation was not increased by multivitamin supplementation alone there could be differences in how carotenoids are absorbed, depending on whether they are from food or supplements.

The research team want to explore the mechanism behind the findings and study the effects of other carotenoid-rich foods, such as sweet potato or green leafy vegetables.

Simmons presented the findings at the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition in Chicago.