A groundbreaking study has discovered that consuming baby carrots as a snack three times a week can significantly increase skin carotenoids in young adults. These phytonutrients, enhanced further when combined with a multivitamin containing beta carotene, play a vital role in overall health.
Carotenoids are the compounds responsible for giving many fruits and vegetables red, orange, and yellow pigments. When measured in the skin, carotenoid levels indicate how many fruits and vegetables an individual has been eating. High levels of skin carotenoids are associated with increased antioxidant protection and a lower risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and certain cancers. Additionally, these markers reflect improved skin health and immune function.
Insights from Previous Studies
“Previous studies have demonstrated that skin carotenoid levels can be increased by consuming three times the recommended serving of fruits and vegetables every day for three weeks,” said Mary Harper Simmons, a Master of Science in Nutrition student at Samford University. “Our findings suggest that a small, simple dietary modification — incorporating baby carrots as a snack — can significantly increase skin carotenoid accumulation.”
Simmons presented the findings at the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition held from June 29 to July 2 in Chicago. The research highlights the potential of baby carrots to improve health markers significantly.
Study Methodology
For the study, researchers randomly assigned 60 young adults to one of four groups for a four-week intervention:
- The control group received Granny Smith apple slices.
- Another group received 100 grams of baby carrots (around 1/2 cup).
- A third group received a multivitamin supplement containing beta carotene.
- The final group received both baby carrots and the supplement.
Before and after the intervention, researchers used a noninvasive research-grade spectroscopy instrument called a VeggieMeter to detect and quantify carotenoids in the participants’ skin. This method allowed for accurate measurement of changes in carotenoid levels.
Key Findings
The study found significant increases in skin carotenoid scores compared to baseline levels:
- The group receiving baby carrots alone showed a 10.8% increase.
- The group receiving both baby carrots and the supplement showed a 21.6% increase.
- Skin carotenoid levels remained unchanged in the apple group and in those receiving just the multivitamin supplement.
“We found that the combination of baby carrots and a multivitamin supplement that contains beta carotene can have an interactive effect on skin carotenoid accumulation,” said Simmons. “To get a beneficial effect, people should choose a multivitamin that contains beta carotene, and remember to eat baby carrots at least three times a week.”
Absorption Differences
The study also indicated that carotenoid accumulation was not increased by multivitamin supplementation alone, suggesting differences in how carotenoids are absorbed from food versus supplements.
The researchers are also interested in investigating the mechanisms behind their findings, and they are working on other foods that are rich in carotenoids, such as sweet potatoes and green leafy vegetables. In addition, the research will help explain how health is affected by disparate sources of carotenoids.
While preliminary and pending peer-reviewed publication, current findings are promising about how simple dietary changes can improve markers of health. Simply, what this means is that increasing the number of baby carrots in the diet, particularly in combination with a multivitamin containing beta carotene, can significantly elevate skin carotenoid levels, which may lead to an improvement in overall health.
As one might know with any exploratory research, these findings should be treated cautiously until studies are reproduced. However, taken together, they show the potential benefits of a diet rich in colorful fruits and vegetables, highlighting one of the easiest ways to optimize health through nutrition.
