Baby carrots are an easy, healthy option when you're looking for a snack between meals, and new research suggests that eating baby carrots a few times a week could improve your health in unique ways.
A new study finds that young adults who ate about half a cup of baby carrots three times a week had higher carotenoid concentrations in their skin, and those concentrations were even higher in people who ate baby carrots and also took a multivitamin.
Carotenoids are the pigments that give carrots their orange color, but they're also essential for human health because they act as antioxidants and are converted into vitamin A in the body.
“Previous research has demonstrated that consuming three times the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables daily for three weeks can increase carotenoid concentrations in the skin,” study co-author Mary Harper Simmons, a master's student in nutrition at Samford University, said in a press release. “Our findings suggest that one simple dietary change — snacking on baby carrots — can significantly increase carotenoid stores in the skin.”
The findings were presented at the American Academy of Nutrition's NUTRITION 2024 conference on June 30. The study was selected by an expert committee but has not yet been peer-reviewed.
Here's what experts have to say about the health benefits of eating baby carrots, why carotenoids are so important to your health, and how you can get more carotenoids into your diet.
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Because so few Americans meet the daily recommended intake of fruits and vegetables, researchers wanted to explore whether small changes in diet could affect carotenoid concentrations in the skin.
To investigate this, the research team recruited 60 young people and split them into four groups: The control group ate 100 grams of Granny Smith apple slices (which have a low carotenoid content) three times a week, while the remaining participants either ate 100 grams of baby carrots three times a week, took a multivitamin containing carotenoids, or both.
The researchers measured the amount of carotenoids in the participants' skin before and after the four-week intervention. The concentration of carotenoids present in the skin can serve as an indicator of overall antioxidant status, as well as general dietary intake of the compounds.
After one month, the skin carotenoid score of participants who snacked on baby carrots increased by 10.8%. Participants who ate baby carrots and also took a multivitamin had levels increase by 21.6%.
However, there was no significant increase in carotenoid concentrations in the skin in those who ate apples or took only multivitamins.
“This preliminary study is a testament to the power of focusing on the whole vegetable matrix to get the greatest benefit in nutrient absorption,” Taylor Berggren, a registered dietitian and microbiome expert at Pendulum Therapeutics, told Health.
The study reinforces the idea that the carotenoids people ingest from fruits and vegetables “are bioavailable and can accumulate in tissues throughout the body,” added Taylor Wallace, PhD, founder of the Think Healthy Group and adjunct associate professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.
As for why the multivitamin group didn't get the same positive results, even though their multivitamin supplement contained carotenoids, Wallace said it may have to do with the participants' fat intake.
“Carotenoids are fat-soluble, so they are better absorbed when eaten with some kind of fat in the diet,” he told Health. “People tend to eat baby carrots with other foods, like salads, or dressings that contain fat.”
On the other hand, not many people do the same when it comes to multivitamins.
“This is one of many examples of why it's wise to take a multivitamin with a meal – most multivitamins also contain fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, D, E and K,” Wallace explained. “Many people think that multivitamins don't work, but in fact they may not be taking them correctly to get the most out of them.”
Carotenoids are pigments found naturally in plants, algae and photosynthetic bacteria that are responsible for the vibrant red, orange and yellow hues of many fruits and vegetables. They support our health in a variety of ways, but most commonly function as antioxidants.
There are hundreds of carotenoids, but three are the most important to human health: beta-carotene, lutein, and lycopene. Carrots are one of the best-known sources of beta-carotene. Several studies suggest that these three compounds may protect against cardiovascular disease, some cancers, age-related macular degeneration, and plaque buildup in the arteries.
Additionally, beta-carotene is converted into vitamin A in the body, which is essential for maintaining healthy vision, skin, and immune function.
But boosting your carotenoid levels isn't recommended for everyone: Studies have found that current and former smokers, or people exposed to asbestos, may be at higher risk of lung cancer and death if they take beta-carotene supplements.
While the study suggests that snacking on carrots is a great way to boost carotenoid levels, it's certainly not the only way, experts say.
“Carrots get a lot of attention for their carotenoid compounds, but they're not the only source of carotenoids,” says Breggen. “Sweet potatoes, butternut squash, pumpkins, bell peppers, and cantaloupe (orange) also contain carotenoids. You can also get carotenoids from leafy vegetables like kale, spinach, and collard greens.”
For best absorption, eat foods containing carotenoids with fat.
Here are some easy ways to include more carotenoid-rich foods in your diet:
Add sweet potatoes to your diet. Eat roasted or mashed sweet potatoes with a drizzle of olive oil to increase beta-carotene absorption. Add spinach to your smoothies. Blend fresh spinach into your smoothies with avocado to add a creamy texture and an extra helping of healthy fats. Snack on carrot sticks and hummus. Pair raw carrot sticks with hummus, which contains healthy fats. Make a bell pepper salad. Mix chopped bell peppers into your salad with a dressing made with extra virgin olive oil to increase carotenoid absorption. Add pumpkin to your soups. Puree pumpkin into your soups and add a splash of coconut milk to add healthy fats.
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