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Saturday, August 8, 2009
Things to Know About Beta-carotene
In basic terms, all you need to know about beta-carotene is that it’s the naturally occurring pigment that provides color in fruits and vegetables.
Yet, dig deeper, and you learn that beta-carotene includes antioxidant qualities helpful in the battle against cancer, heart disease, and aging. Too, beta-carotene includes immune-enhancing qualities that stimulate cell-to-cell communication; which is another anti-cancer quality of beta-carotene because poor communication between cells often leads to cell overgrowth, hence cancer.
Among the recommended five or more servings of fruits and vegetables one should eat each day, foods high in beta-carotene include sweet potatoes, carrots, kale, spinach, turnip greens, winter squash, collard greens, cilantro, and fresh thyme.
Additional information about beta-carotenes include:
* Beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, and gamma-carotene are considered provitamins because they can be converted to active vitamin A
* Beta-carotene is one of about 50 provitamin A carotenoid compounds … among total of about 600 carotenoids in all
* Beta-carotene is a powerful antioxidant, protecting the body from free radicals
* Although studies are young, the highest concentration of beta-carotene in any organ of the human body is in the corpus luteum, the progesterone-producing follicle that remains after a woman ovulates
* High intakes of beta-carotene-rich foods can result in yellowish discoloration of palms and soles of feet, carotenodermia, which includes no toxic side effects
* Lightly steaming carrots and spinach can improve the body’s ability to absorb beta-carotene, yet uncooked fruits and vegetables normally work best
* Carotenoids are fat-soluble substances, thus require some dietary fat for proper absorption through the digestive tract
* The term “carotene” initially was coined in the 19th Century by Wachenroder, a German scientist
What the medical community knows about beta-carotene is that it protects cells from free-radical damage, provides a source for vitamin A, enhances the immune system of humans, and helps in the proper function of a woman’s reproductive system.
by Rocky Wilson
Author of Sharene - Death: A Prerequisite For Life
Owner of Healthy Chocolate website
