Get Notified when there's something new from Health in FocusMother Nature's Amazing Carotenoids And Their Benefits
By Jacobus Hollewijn
Your Daily Health Pearl Minute # 18
Carotenoids are essential compounds in nature. They are pigments showing red, orange, yellow, and purple colors in birds, fish, flowers, fruits, and vegetables.
Their health benefits include that they can protect us from disease and that they can strengthen our immune system. But there is more!! Without carotenoids we would not be able to see at all, because there would be no Vitamin A and thus no light gathering pigments in the eye.
On the website from The National Library of Medicine, better known as PubMed.gov, it’s mentioned that, as of 2018, about 850 naturally occurring carotenoids have been reported, of which 50-ish are found in food we buy in the grocery stores. Hearing the word “carotenoid” makes us think first of the word beta-carotene. I did the same thing, because thats what we say carrots have.
There are however other amazing carotenoids, with wonderful health benefits. For example you have:
- LUTEIN, which is very important for our retina.
- ZEAXANTHIN, the best food for our macula.
- LYCOPENE, a great product for the prostate
- ASTAXANTHIN, found in certain algae; is one of the most versatile and strong antioxidants in many parts of our body.
- Of course, there are BETA-CAROTENE and ALPHA-CAROTENE, the best precursors to Vitamin A, but they have also shown to help prevent skin cancer and breast cancer
And the other good thing is that all these carotenoids are available in dietary supplement form. This way you can improve some of your health concerns on your own!
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