AIM Just Carrots^®

Carrots are a healthy food. They contain beta carotene and other cartenoids, B vitamins, vitamin C, minerals calcium and potassium, and much more. The body converts beta carotene into vitamin A which boosts the immune system and promotes healthy cell growth.

But, beta carotene is much more than a precursor for vitamin A. Beta carotene is also a potent antioxident which fights free radicals and helps to prevent them from causing membrane damage, DNA mutation (occurs when a gene is damaged or altered) and lipid (fat) oxidation which may lead to many of the diseases that are considered degenerative.

Another cartenoid present in carrots is alpha carotene. Michiaki Murakoshi, Ph.D., nutrition expert and head of the team of biochemists at the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine in Japan, contends that alpha carotene may be more powerful than beta carotene in inhibiting processes that may lead to tumor growth.

Dr. Murakoshi also contends that cartenoid coated neuroblastoma (cancer) cells experience a drop in N-myc (a potential cancer causing gene). Alpha carotene was found to be ten times more powerful in inhibiting N-myc activity than beta carotene.

All nutrients found in fruits and vegetables have health benefits. The U.S. Government's 1995 Dietary Guidelines for Americans states that, "The antioxidant nutrients found in plant foods (vitamin C, carotene, vitamin E and the mineral selenium) are presently of great interest to scientists and the public because of their potentially beneficial role in reducing the risk of cancer and certain other chronic diseases."

		AIM Just Carrots® Data Sheet (.pdf)
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