Is your body blocking this cholesterol-lowering nutrient?
Carrots are an excellent source of beta-carotene which the body converts into the essential nutrient vitamin A. But researchers studying the role of beta-carotene in lowering cholesterol levels identified an enzyme that’s necessary for this benefit and some of us are missing out. That means you need to go about getting yours differently.
That may be surprising because so many experts tell us that we should be able to get all the nutrients the human body requires by eating a whole food diet.
These same experts will tell you that vitamin supplementation isn’t necessary. But what if your body just can’t convert the nutrients from food into the vitamin form your body needs?
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IMAGE: (From left): Doctoral students Ivan Pinos and Johana Coronel, and Assistant Professor Jaume Amengual, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at University of Illinois, with the latest issue of. view more
Credit: College of ACES.
URBANA, Ill. - Carrots are a good source of beta-carotene, which is a precursor of vitamin A. But to get the full health benefits of this superfood, you need an active enzyme to produce this vitamin.
Beta-carotene is the bioactive compound that gives carrots their orange color. Studies with humans and mice show the conversion of beta-carotene to vitamin A reduces bad cholesterol in the blood. Thus, beta-carotene can help protect against atherosclerosis development, which leads to the accumulation of fats and cholesterol in our arteries. Atherosclerosis cardiovascular disease is the primary cause of death worldwide, says Jaume Amengual, assistant professor of personalized nutrition in the Department of Food Science and