Carrots contain a lot of beta carotene, which may help reduce a wide range of cancers including lung, mouth, throat, stomach, intestine, bladder, prostate and breast. Some research indicated beta carotene may actually cause cancer, but this has not proven that eating carrots, unless in very large quantities - 2 to 3 kilos a day, can cause cancer.
In fact, a substance called falcarinol that is found in carrots has been found to reduce the risk of cancer, according to researchers at Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences (DIAS). Kirsten Brandt, head of the research department, explains that isolated cancer cells grow more slowly when exposed to falcarinol. This substance is a polyacethylen, the amount of falcarinol is slightly higher when eaten raw, but when you cook them it softens the tissues and makes it easier to get them out. You probably get more when you eat them boiled or steamed.
Cooking increases antioxidant power
High temperature is usually not the best thing for many of the sensitive compounds that are contained in our food and new research from the University of Arkansas indicates that for carrots, at least, cooking may in fact increase their goodness.
Carrots are one of the best sources of carotene which is a strong antioxidant. But carrots also contain other phenolic compounds that are antioxidants. Many people do not realise that numerous phenolic compounds are located in the skin of fruit and vegetables, many of which are removed by peeling prior to processing.
Carrots are one of the best sources of carotene which is a strong antioxidant. But carrots also contain other phenolic compounds that are antioxidants. Many people do not realise that numerous phenolic compounds are located in the skin of fruit and vegetables, many of which are removed by peeling prior to processing.
The Arkansas researchers were studying the effects of thermal processing (cooking) on the antioxidant properties of carrots. The carrots (peeled or non-peeled) were sliced and blanched (2 minutes or 20 minutes), cooked in cans at 250 oC for 75 minutes and then stored for up to 4 weeks. In all cases the antioxidant power of the processed carrots was greater - on average 34% higher - than for raw carrots. During the first week of storage the antioxidant properties continued to climb, before declining over the next 3 weeks in storage. At the end of the 4 weeks the processed carrots still had more oxidative power than raw carrots.
Heating vegetables, either during processing or cooking, is a way of reducing enzyme activity that can lead to undesirable changes in colour, flavour and texture. But the heat can also change compounds found in the raw food into other chemically related compounds. The properties of these new compounds may be different as was reported in this carrot cooking experiment.
Do not overdose - your skin will turn yellow! - It's called Carotenemia!
Consume too many carrots or drink too much juice and your skin, mostly the hands, will turn yellowish-orange. There are two possible reasons why your skin turns orange. Either your body is unable to process all the carotene properly in the carrot juice you are drinking , or your liver is toxic. Either way, the colour shows up in your skin.
Heating vegetables, either during processing or cooking, is a way of reducing enzyme activity that can lead to undesirable changes in colour, flavour and texture. But the heat can also change compounds found in the raw food into other chemically related compounds. The properties of these new compounds may be different as was reported in this carrot cooking experiment.
Do not overdose - your skin will turn yellow! - It's called Carotenemia!
Consume too many carrots or drink too much juice and your skin, mostly the hands, will turn yellowish-orange. There are two possible reasons why your skin turns orange. Either your body is unable to process all the carotene properly in the carrot juice you are drinking , or your liver is toxic. Either way, the colour shows up in your skin.
You may be drinking too much carrot juice at once. Your body can't really assimilate more than 8-10 oz. of carrot juice at one time (taken on an empty stomach). So if you're drinking a bigger glass than that, you could be causing your own problem. Instead, try drinking no more than 8 oz. at a time.
Carotenemia is the medical term for increased blood levels of the pigment carotene. Do not be fooled this is not a sign of good health. It signals excessive intake of carotene. This yellow-orange skin hue is a tell-tale sign of a beta carotene overdose from this hefty carrot/juice consumption. Beta carotene, along with other plant pigments generally called carotenes, found in carrots and other colourful vegetables and fruits, are a boost to your health - but like everything in life, only in moderation.
Like many foods eaten in excess, carrots can produce unhealthy results too. Carotene, the pigment that gives carrots and other yellow fruits and vegetables their colour, can cause jaundice when consumed in excessive quantities. Some people who have imbibed large quantities of carrot juice in a relatively short time developed a yellow hue to their skin.
Though the yellowing of the skin from indulging in a heavy dose of carrots is seldom serious and will disappear in a few days, if consumption ceases, continued carrot gorging can cause medical problems. In 1974 one unfortunate English health advocate named Basil Brown consumed 10 gallons of carrot juice and took 10,000 times the recommended RDA of vitamin A in a period of 10 days. Those 10 days were the unfortunate man's undoing, his skin turned bright yellow and he died of severe liver damage.
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