When we think of carotenes, we tend to think directly of carrots. This is not untrue, since they are indeed present in carrots. But carotenes are also found in many colorful plants. Carotenes belong to the carotenoid family, which are fat-soluble substances that can only be supplied by dietary fats, since the body is unable to manufacture them.
Carotenes are pigments that give different plants their color. They are important elements for the body: some are precursors of vitamin A. Most carotenes have antioxidant properties that are particularly beneficial to health. The main ones isolated in the blood are beta-carotene, alpha-carotene and lycopene, the most important quantitatively being beta-carotene.
Beta-carotene for a healthy body and perfect skin.
Beta-carotene is an orange pigment found in carrots (which explains its name), peppers, spinach, lettuce, broccoli,apricots and spirulina. Beta-carotene is the best-known carotene, and has been for a long time. It is heat-stable and water-soluble, so there is less risk of accumulation in the body.
Retinol, the active form of vitamin A, contributes to healthy skin and is used in the majority of anti-aging products. It plays a key role in firming skin that suffers from slower cell regeneration.
Other benefits of beta-carotene
Increased intake of beta-carotene has been shown to help prevent numerous diseases such as lung cancer, cardiovascular disease and eye disorders.
Results from epidemiological studies suggest that diets rich in beta-carotene and other carotenoids may help slow the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
Alpha-carotene for longer life
Alpha-carotene is the second most common form of carotene. Its chemical structure is very similar to beta-carotene, but it inhibits tumor proliferation tenfold. It is said to be more effective against cancer cells in the liver, brain and skin.
According to Chaoyang Li, principal investigator of one of the alpha-carotene studies, we now know that there is a strong correlation between fruit and vegetable consumption and alpha-carotene blood levels in reducing mortality risk. “However, we have yet to determine the exact number of servings of fruit that should be consumed per day to get the right concentration of alpha-carotene,” he maintains.
Lycopene, the most widely consumed carotene
Lycopene, which gives tomatoes and watermelons their red color, is the carotenoid we consume in greatest quantity. Between 5 and 25 mg per day, depending on country and season. Cooking tomatoes considerably improves lycopene absorption. The same applies to its ingestion with fats. The human body cannot produce it, so it must obtain it from food.
It’s a powerful fat-soluble antioxidant (to improve assimilation, eat it with a drizzle of oil or slices of mozzarella…). Like beta-carotene, it has antioxidant properties that protect against cardiovascular disease. Studies show that lycopene can significantly reduce not only totaland LDL cholesterol levels, but also hypertension. It accumulates in certain organs such as the skin, liver, lungs and prostate.
Tips and precautions for carotenoids
- Any dietary or medicinal treatment involving high doses of micronutrients must be monitored by a physician. The recommended daily intake for adults is between 2 and 6mg for beta-carotene, and 15mg for lycopene.
- The body efficiently absorbs lycopene when processed in juice or sauce.
- High consumption of lycopene-rich foods and supplements can lead to dark orange skin (lycopenoderma). This coloration disappears when carotenoid consumption is reduced or stopped.
- Excessive beta-carotene intake can lead to yellowing of the skin, especially on the palms and soles of the feet.
- Beta-carotene is considered a safe source of vitamin A: whereas ingesting large quantities of preformed vitamin A (retinol) over months or years can be toxic. No worries! Since the body converts only the amount of beta-carotene it needs into vitamin A, there’s no risk of intoxication.
- Smokers can take additional beta-carotene in doses of 20 mg/day.