Researchers Find That Too Much Beta-Carotene Has A Negative Impact

May 1, 2012: 12:00 AM EST

Beta-carotene – the antioxidant orange pigment that gives carrots and sweet potatoes their distinctive color – is normally beneficial because it converts to vitamin A, a nutrient essential for human vision, bone and skin health, metabolism and immune function. But U.S. researchers have found evidence suggesting that too much beta-carotene in the diet creates anti-vitamin-A molecules that block some of the actions of vitamin A and result in less vitamin A in the system. The scientists do not recommend against eating foods rich in beta-carotene. They are continuing their study of why these anti-vitamin-A molecules are formed.

A. Eroglu et al., "Naturally-occurring eccentric cleavage products of provitamin A beta-carotene function as antagonists of retinoic acid receptors", Journal of Biological Chemistry, May 01, 2012, © The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

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Researchers Find That Too Much Beta-Carotene Has A Negative Impact

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