The Health Benefits of Carotenoids

Living Color

If you’re shopping and you see a fruit or vegetable with an attractive color – don’t hesitate – buy it and eat it. It’s going to be good for you.

In several e-Alerts I’ve stressed the importance of getting a high dietary intake of carotenoids. These organic plant pigments have not only been shown to help control inflammation, but as I noted in the e-Alert “From L to Z” (4/12/07), a steady intake of certain carotenoids also helps reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration.

Now a new study demonstrates how carotenoid supplements may protect lymphocyte cells (key immunes system cells) from the type of DNA damage that sets the stage for the development of cancer and other chronic diseases.

Save that DNA

Researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA-Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging teamed up with scientists at the Tufts University School of Medicine to measure the effect of carotenoid supplements on lymphocytes.

Nearly 40 healthy postmenopausal women over the age of 50 (all non-smokers) were divided into five groups to receive either a placebo or one of these daily supplement regimens:

• Beta-carotene, lutein and lycopene (4 mg of each carotenoid)
• Beta-carotene only (12 mg)
• Lutein only (12 mg)
• Lycopene only (12 mg)

Blood samples were assessed for carotenoid concentrations throughout the eight-week test period. The condition of lymphocyte DNA for each subject was determined with a common technique for detecting DNA damage known as “comet assay.”

Results were striking. All four of the supplement groups showed significantly lower DNA damage compared to damage levels recorded at the outset of the study, but the placebo group showed no significant change in DNA damage. In the mixed supplement group and the beta-carotene group, DNA damage was reduced after just 15 days.

Writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the researchers note that the supplement levels used to produce DNA protection can be achieved through diet alone.

Full spectrum

Beta-carotene (a precursor of vitamin A) is abundant in carrots, dark green leafy vegetables, colorful orange vegetables and fruits such as pumpkins, squash, sweet potatoes, peaches, apricots, cantaloupes and mangoes.

Lutein has been shown to support vision health and helps prevent age related macular degeneration. Good sources of lutein include spinach, eggs, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, oranges, lettuce and celery.

Lycopene (found mostly in tomatoes and watermelon) is a powerful antioxidant that promotes heart health and has been shown to reduce the risk of prostate cancer.

If you eat a good mix of all these foods you’ll be getting a variety of carotenoids, including zeaxanthin, alpha carotene and others. And the key word here is “variety.” As Amanda Ross noted in a 2005 issue of her Health e-Tips e-letter: “Based on the results of numerous studies, it’s becoming more and more clear that carotenoids function similarly to the B-complex of vitamins in that they’re more powerful together than they are alone. Which is why a rich diet with a full array of carotenoids may provide more health benefits than isolating and supplementing with any one individually.”