What Can Beta Carotene Do for Your Health?

Unveil the Mystery of Beta Carotene

Beta Carotene 10% Powder is regarded as a provitamin A carotenoid compound. The chemical formula C40H56 for beta carotene was discovered in 1907.

Foods rich in beta carotene include sweet carrots, kale, potatoes, spinach, Swiss chard, butternut squash, cantaloupe, romaine lettuce, apricots and red sweet peppers.

Beta carotene is a precursor to vitamin A, which means the body can turn it into vitamin A (retinol) as needed. Beta carotene has potent antioxidant properties. We need vitamin A for healthy skin and mucous membranes, better immune system, and good eye health and vision.

What Can Beta Carotene Do for Your Health?

Beta carotene supplement can benefit human health in a number of ways. Below, we give a few examples:

★ Beta Carotene May Improve Cognitive Function

Evidence suggests that, like other antioxidants, beta carotene can promote memory and cognitive function. A review of multiple researches found that long-term beta carotene supplementation has positive effects on cognitive function and memory.

Men who took carrot beta carotene for 15 years or more are significantly less likely to experience cognitive decline than other men, Harvard Medical School researchers reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine (November 2007 issue).

Oxidative stress is considered a key factor in cognitive decline, the researchers explained. Research suggests that antioxidant supplements may help prevent cognitive decline.

Antioxidants such as beta carotene may be very helpful in reducing symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and age-related cognitive decline.

★ Beta Carotene Can Keep Lungs Healthy

A March 2006 report by the BMJ showed that high beta carotene levels in the blood can compensate for some of the damage to the lungs resulted from oxygen free radicals.

They measured FEV1 in 535 people and measured their beta carotene levels in their blood. FEV1 measures how much air you can exhale at one time. They found that people with high beta carotene levels had a much slower decline in FEV1 measurements.

★ Beta Carotene Can Support Eye Health

Studies have found that eating a diet rich in carotenoids, including beta-carotene, can support eye health and prevent eye diseases. Researches have shown that people with high blood levels of carotenoids may decrease their risk of macular degeneration by up to 35%.

★ Beta Carotene Can Maintain Skin Health

A 2012 review reported that a high intake of antioxidant micronutrients, including beta carotene, can enhance the skin's defenses against UV radiation and assist in maintaining skin health and appearance.

★ Beta carotene May Reduce Cancer Risk

Researchers have found that a diet rich in beta carotene and other antioxidants may reduce the risk of certain cancers, including breast, lung, and pancreatic cancers.

What are Possible Health Risks of Beta Carotene?

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble nutrient that accumulates in the body, mainly in the liver, and can be toxic when taken in excess. Long-term excessive intake of vitamin A can cause coma, nausea, dizziness, joint pain, and even death. Even amounts slightly above the recommended dietary intake were related to reduced bone mineral density and fracture risk.

Smokers who take high-dose beta-carotene supplements have been found to have a higher risk of dying from lung cancer.