Get Notified when there's something new from Health in FocusBeta-Carotene And Alpha-Carotene Use In Cancer Studies
By Jacobus Hollewijn
Your Daily Health Pearl Minute # 19
Plenty of research continues to be done on cancers. Several of those studies focused on the cancer-preventive potential of Vitamin A and its precursors, Alpha-Carotene and Beta-Carotene. The latter has been studied widely as a promising chemo-preventive agent in reducing the risk of cancer in humans.
Not many people know that daily supplementation with carotenes has shown tumor reducing activities in specific cancers, such as oral cavity, head and neck, as well as colon.
Pretty much all yellow, orange, and green fruits and vegetables contain Beta-Carotene and Alpha-Carotene. High concentrations are found in carrots, pumpkins, apricots, sweet potatoes, and beans.
Percentage-wise, beta-carotene is more abundant in food than alpha-carotene. And beta-carotene also turns into Vitamin A quicker, about twice as fast.
However, the anti-oxidant power of Alpha Carotene is higher than that of Beta Carotene.
This doesn’t mean eating foods high in carotenoids will “cure” cancer, because cancer is a bugger that needs to be observed and handled from different angles and probably using different approaches. However, ongoing research showing benefits in treating different cancers naturally is hopeful!
I have heard quite some time ago that taking daily Vitamin A in higher dosages (such as 100,000 IU’s) for a shorter time, like three months, can have a strong immune building effect when dealing with cancer.
On the other hand, when taking daily Beta-Carotene and Alpha-Carotene the body converts what it needs.
I think that is pretty “Neat!”
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