Carrot (Daucus carota)

What are Carrots?

Everyone knows that carrots are good for you, and that's largely because they're packed with nutrients, vitamins and plant compounds. Plants contain red, orange and yellow pigments called 'carotenoids' that give them their colours. One group of carotenoids, the 'carotenes', gives vegetables like carrots and pumpkins their distinctive orange.

Carrot fibre is a natural source of plant compounds, including carotenoids, and of both soluble and insoluble fibre. The fibre in carrots is thought to be made up of cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin and lignin. Soluble and insoluble fibres are both part of a well-balanced diet.

What do Carrots do?

Beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A in the body, and vitamin A contributes to the maintenance of normal vision.* Vitamin A helps convert the light that hits your eye into an electrical signal that goes to your brain. Studies have also looked at dietary intake of carotenoids and vitamins A, C and E in relation to eye health with age.

Carotenes have antioxidant activity: they can neutralise 'free radicals', which are unstable molecules. Researchers have studied carotenoids in relation to eye health as we age, particularly lutein and zeaxanthin and the macula, the part of the eye responsible for sharp central vision.

*Beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A in the body, and vitamin A contributes to the maintenance of normal vision.

You may also enjoy reading 'Tips for better eye health' and '7 key nutrients to support your eye health'.