Table of Contents showCarrots
Carrots are a kind of vegetable that mothers wouldn’t have difficulty in persuading their children to eat, compared to other quite healthy but relatively less tasty vegetables for children and even for adults, such as kale or broccoli.
For many, carrots are among the most delicious vegetables with its crunchy, juicy, sweet, fruity taste.
Many of us are aware of the association between the consumption of foods rich in beta-carotene ( one of them is carrot ) and improved eyesight.
But, it would be unfair to limit the health benefits of carrots to those simply associated with vision.
Because, apart from their mouth-pleasing taste and eye-improving feature, carrots can provide a wide range of health benefits from the heart to the skeletal system and skin health thanks to their rich nutrient content.
In this article, we are going to talk about the evidence-based health benefits as well as the potential health benefits of carrots.
Now, let’s briefly touch upon the rich nutrient content of carrots that make this veggie one of the healthiest vegetables in the vegetable community.
Nutritional Value of Carrots
It bears repeating that carrots are as healthy as they are tasty. And, they owe their “healthy” title to the nutrients present in carrots.
Carrots are rich in vitamin A (beta carotene), vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin K1 and Biotin.
Carrots are also rich in minerals, fibre and antioxidants such as potassium, pectin, lutein and lycopene and dietary fibres.
Health Benefits of Carrots
Now, it is time to enumerate 7 evidence-based health benefits of carrots. Please note that scientific studies and experts’ views that support the accuracy of the below-given information are highlighted with red colour.
1- Eye Health
Let’s start with the health benefit that carrots are most famous for.
Carrots have been long considered one of the best nutrition for eye health, but, are especially associated with improved night vision.
Carrots are a perfect source of beta-carotene, which gives carrots their orange colour, which the human body converts it to vitamin A.
Vitamin A plays a significant role in eye health by protecting the cornea, according to experts.
As vitamin A is crucial for eye health, in its deficiency, it is unavoidable to encounter serious eye problems.
For instance, xerophthalmia is an eye disease that hinders vision in a dark or dim-lit environment and occurs due to vitamin A deficiency. If this problem is left unaddressed, it leads patients to night blindness. Luckily, this serious problem can be prevented and treated with vitamin A supplementation.
Here is where the story ” carrots provide an excellent sight in the dark ” stems from. Carrot consumption does not provide you with superhuman night vision. Albeit, thanks to its high vitamin A content, it can prevent the vision problems that occur as a result of vitamin A deficiency.
In the meantime, a well-rounded scientific study proves the efficacy of lutein and zeaxanthin, highly available in carrots, in preventing macular degeneration which is a type of vision loss.
The conclusion is consuming carrots does not give you the sharpness of an eagle eye, but it definitely contributes to your eye health with the rich nutrients.
2- May Reduce Risk of Cancer
Although no one knows the exact cause of cancer, there are certain risk factors for cancer in the human body. And, one of these risk factors is free radicals, as stated in the report.
Lutein and zeaxanthin – we mentioned above as being necessary for eye health – are two essential antioxidants available in carrots. Another important feature of these antioxidants is to fight free radicals that may cause cancer by harming healthy cells.
Considering that carrots contain powerful antioxidants that fight free radicals, it is possible to say that carrot consumption may lower the risk of cancer.
3- Improves Immune-System
Many people search for best practices to strengthen their immune systems to stand firm against diseases and ailments, especially in the winter months.
As for the relationship between carrots and the immune system; carrots contain two very significant components for the immune system. These are vitamin A and vitamin C. Especially vitamin C is said by experts to be rather crucial for the immune system.
Therefore, slightly increasing your carrot consumption during the winter months can help your immune system to remain strong against certain diseases.
4- Ideal for people With Diabetes
Diabetes is becoming an epidemic around the world and there is no cure for this disease. Since there is no cure, people with diabetes have to manage their blood sugar levels with certain methods and eating the right foods at the right time is one of them.
For this reason, people with diabetes opt for foods with a low glycemic index that shows how much a specific food increases blood sugar. If a specific food is ranked as low on the index that means that food is less likely to increase blood sugar.
Carrots’ GI index is low, therefore, carrots are safe to eat for people with diabetes. Plus, consuming carrots can prevent diabetes by reason of contain natural sugar.
5- Weight Loss
Here is an uplifting piece of information for you if, nowadays, you are contemplating losing pounds.
Carrots should be in your diet if you want to lose weight. The reason for suggesting carrots for weight loss comes from carrots’ fibre content. Yet, we should focus on soluble fibres that present in carrots.
Consuming foods rich in soluble fibre increases the feeling of fullness by slowing down digestion, thus, causing you to eat less than you normally do.
6- Support Bone Health
Young individuals wouldn’t be concerned about their bone health due to their relative youth. However, bones lose strength after a certain age. Therefore, supporting bone health with an ideal diet can prevent injuries, that occur due to weakened bones.
Carrots provide vitamins, phosphorus and calcium all of which have a role in keeping bones healthy, according to American Bone Health.
7- Skin Health
Skin is the largest organ in our body, hence, susceptible to getting harmed, if neglected. In the meantime, the skin has also cosmetic importance in our lives. A shiny and clean face, for instance, is a sign of health. Therefore, every one of us desires to have healthy and good-looking skin.
Carrots may have come to our rescue one more time. Because carrots contain nutrients linked with improved skin quality. For instance, vitamin C is necessary for skin health since it has a role in collagen production. Collagen is responsible for skin strength and elasticity.
Moreover, we mentioned that beta carotene and antioxidants are present in carrots.
Antioxidants fight free radicals that may harm skin health.
Likewise, beta-carotene protects the skin against the harmful effects of UV rays, according to a scientific study.
Tarkan is an experienced health writer ( currently more than 600 articles ) and also the founder of this website namely www.neededforhealth.com. His expertise in health stems from in-depth medical research and knowledge which he obtained over the course of many years.
Tarkan enjoys sharing factual knowledge on health, psychology and nutrition. He always aims to deliver evidence-based recommendations, provide links to related scientific studies.
