Contents:
- Medical Video: Did You Know What Butternut Squash Can Do To Your Health!
- What is carotenoids?
- Get to know the most common types of carotenoids
- Xanthophyll
- Carotene
- Benefits of carotenoids for health
- 1. Eye health
- 2. Heart health
- 3. Decreased risk of cancer
Medical Video: Did You Know What Butternut Squash Can Do To Your Health!
Some food sources that are high in carotenoids are sweet potato, cabbage, spinach, watermelon, cantaloupe, paprika, tomatoes, carrots, mangoes, and oranges. All of these fruits and vegetables do have their own benefits. But do you know what carotenoids really are, and what are the benefits for health? Come on, check the full info below.
What is carotenoids?
Carotenoids are chemicals that give natural color to fruits and vegetables. This pigment produces bright yellow, red, and orange in plants, vegetables, and fruits.
Carotenoids are included in the family of antioxidants that can protect you from various diseases and improve your immune system.
There are more than 600 types of carotenoids. Some of the most common types are alpha carotene, beta carotene, beta cryptoxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, and lycopene.
Get to know the most common types of carotenoids
The grouping of carotenoids is divided into the two main groups, namely xanthophyll (in the majority of yellow fruits and vegetables) and carotene (contained in the majority of orange vegetable sources).
Xanthophyll
Xanthophyll contains oxygen. Xantophils can protect the body from sunlight. Lutein, zeaxanthin, and beta cryptoxantin are included in this type. Lutein and zaezanthin are known to be beneficial for eye health.
Foods included in the category of xanthophyll include cabbage, spinach, pumpkin, pumpkin, avocado, yellow fruit, corn, and egg yolks.
Carotene
Carotene does not contain oxygen, but contains hydrocarbon compounds. Carotene plays an important role in helping plant growth. Alpha carotene, beta carotene and lycopene fall into this category.
Foods in the carotene category include carrots, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes, papaya, tangerines, tomatoes, and pumpkins.
From there, carotenoids are grouped again into provitamin A and non-provitamin A. Provitamin can be converted into vitamin A in the intestine or liver. Vitamin A itself is an important component for human health, which helps maintain eye health and immunity.
Alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and beta cryptoxanthin belong to the provitamin A group. While lutein, zeaxanthin and lycopene are non-provitamin A groups.
Benefits of carotenoids for health
1. Eye health
One of the main causes of blindness is age-related macular degeneration. Long-term exposure to blue light can cause this and have a negative impact on the eyes. However, the intake of lutein and zeaxanthin can help absorb the blue light that enters the retina.
Research shows that combining at least six milligrams of lutein in your diet a day can reduce the risk of macular degeneration by 43 percent. Increasing the amount of lutein and zeaxanthin in your diet can also help slow or stop and prevent eye damage.
2. Heart health
The anti-inflammatory benefits of natural coloring pigments are often associated with increased heart health. Reducing inflammation helps protect against heart disease and prevents atherosclerosis (blockage of the heart artery wall).
3. Decreased risk of cancer
Carotenoids are antioxidants that can protect cells from damage caused by cancer-free free radicals. The benefits of carotenoids in particular are oftenwith a reduced risk of lung cancer and skin cancer.
In skin cancer, carotenoids can be broken down by vitamin A, a nutrient that plays an important role in protecting against skin damage due to sun exposure. Excessive exposure to light in the long term is known to be one of the biggest risk factors for the development of melasma and melanoma skin cancer.
