A new study found that eating a snack of baby carrots just three times a week significantly increased skin carotenoids in young adults. Levels of these phytonutrients were boosted even more when this healthy snack was combined with a multivitamin containing the carotenoid beta carotene. Carotenoids, which are responsible for the bright red, orange and yellow colors of many fruits and vegetables, can be measured in the skin to gauge fruit and vegetable consumption since diet is the only source of these pigments.
Higher levels of skin carotenoids are associated with increased antioxidant protection and a lower risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and certain cancers. This marker also reflects improved skin health and immune function. 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.
Our findings suggest that a small, simple dietary modification -; incorporating baby carrots as a snack -; can significantly increase skin carotenoid accumulation." Mary Harper Simmons, Master of Science in Nutrition student at Samford University Simmons will present the findings at NUTRITION 2024, the flagship annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition held June 29–July 2 in Chicago. For the study, the researchers randomly assigned 60 young adults to groups that received a four-week intervention of either Granny Smith apple slices (control), 100 gr.
