What Are Carotenes And What Are Their Benefits?
Carotenes are natural red, yellow and orange pigments found in plants. Moreover, their consumption can bring benefits to the body. Discover them!
Carotenes have health benefits because they are a group of natural compounds found in plants. These substances are responsible for the pigmentation of certain fruits and vegetables. In addition, they exert an effect on the human body.
The term carotene encompasses certain chemical compounds that contain carbon and hydrogen atoms. According to various studies, these are natural antioxidants that help prevent disease and play a big role in nature. Read on to find out more.
Importance of carotenes in nature
In addition to producing chlorophyll, plants synthesize carotenes to efficiently capture light. This means that the carotenes are necessary for the realization of photosynthesis. They absorb ultraviolet, purple and blue light, and reflect orange and red light, and in lower concentrations, yellow.
When autumn arrives, the chlorophyll (responsible for the green color) degrades to leave only the remaining pigments. Thus appear the orange, red and yellow tones of carrots, squash, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and some flowers. Likewise, carotenes are responsible for the color of algae and fungi in the plant kingdom.
On the other hand, in animal species, they are used to provide pigments to the feathers and beaks of certain birds, to the skeleton of crustaceans or to the muscles and skin of fish. In fact, the body fat of omnivorous beings is yellowish in color, due to the retention and storage of these compounds present in their diet.
In this sense, this pigmentation can also be found in animal products such as milk, butter or eggs.
How do they rank and how do they work?
Carotenes, also known as carotenoids or vitamin A precursors , are compounds soluble in fatty substances. That is, they are better absorbed if they mix with lipids.
Unlike with most nutrients, cooking, chopping and sautéing foods that are sources of carotene in oil increases their potency tenfold.
- Xanthophylls : lutein and zeaxanthin
- Carotenes : beta-carotene and lycopene.
Among these, the predominant ones are beta-carotene, lycopene and lutein.
Health Benefits of Carotenes
As we said, carotenes provide benefits that allow the body to protect itself against disease and improve the immune system. Among their actions, we can distinguish the following:
Preserving eye health
Because these substances are precursors of vitamin A, they are essential for maintaining eye health and preventing diseases such as blindness, night blindness and dry eyes. For this reason, it is advisable to consume at least 6 mg of this nutrient per day.
One of the main causes of these problems is degeneration of the retina. However, it turns out that continuous exposure to blue light may be the cause. Fortunately, carotenes can absorb blue light and thus prevent damage. They can even help improve the situation.
Cardiovascular benefits
Because carotenes are antioxidant compounds, they decrease inflammation in the body. Related to this, scientific evidence shows that they lower the risk of developing heart problems like atherosclerosis, a disease that causes blood vessels to become blocked by cholesterol.
Likewise, they help decrease risk factors like hypertension, abdominal obesity and glucose intolerance. All of this helps to reduce the possibility of a serious cardiovascular event.
Slowing down of skin aging
Although skin aging occurs naturally, ultraviolet rays can accelerate this process. In this sense, according to the Spanish study “Nutritional Importance of Carotenoid Pigments”, consuming adequate amounts of these nutrients protects the body against cellular damage and prevents damage to the skin.
Lycopene and beta-carotene both produce this effect. They are also effective in the form of supplements.
Reduced risk of disease
In addition to the actions already described, carotenes help prevent the development of skin cancer. This is linked to its antioxidant power and its ability to slow down aging, which limits cumulative cell errors. That is, the nutrient blocks cell mutations that could lead to malignant degeneration.
Main sources of carotene
The distribution of carotenoids among different groups of plants does not follow a unique pattern. But as a rule, they can be found in vegetables and fruits which have red, orange and yellow pigments. Among them, we can mention carrot, mango, red pepper, papaya and tomato.
One can also benefit from carotenes by consuming peach, guava, plum, sweet potato, egg yolk, corn, pumpkin, kale and tangerines.
Carotenes and their benefits: what to remember?
As you can see, carotenes are beneficial for human health because they are antioxidant substances which help the body to protect cells, tissues and organs from the harmful effects of toxic substances. In this way, they prevent the development of ailments.
It is for this reason that it is important to eat a variety of foods that contain a lot of it. We advise you to consult a nutritionist so that he indicates to you the vegetables, in addition to those which one evoked, which can strengthen your immune system.
Note that carotenes are also available as vitamin A supplements, but you should only take them under medical supervision. Too much can indeed lead to serious health complications.
