alpha-carotene

Foods Richest in alpha-carotene

No food chart data available.

About alpha-carotene

What can foods rich in alpha-carotene do for you?

What events and lifestyle factors can indicate a need for more foods that are rich in alpha-carotene?

Food sources of alpha-carotene include carrots, winter squash, tomatoes, green beans, cilantro and Swiss chard. To maximize the availability of the carotenoids in the foods listed above, the foods should be eaten raw or steamed lightly.

For serving size for specific foods, see Nutrient Rating Chart below at the bottom of this page.

Description

What is alpha-carotene?

Alpha-carotene is one of the most abundant carotenoids in the North American diet. It is a “provitamin A” compound, one of approximately 50 carotenoids able to be converted in the body into retinol, an active form of vitamin A. Alpha-carotene has approximately one-half of the vitamin A activity of beta-carotene.

How it Functions

Deficiency Symptoms

What are deficiency symptoms for alpha-carotene?

A low dietary intake of carotenoids such as alpha-carotene is not known to directly cause any diseases or health conditions, at least in the short term. However, if your intake of vitamin A is also low, a dietary deficiency of alpha-carotene and/or other provitamin A carotenoids can cause the symptoms associated with vitamin A deficiency.

In addition, long-term inadequate intake of carotenoids is associated with chronic disease, including heart disease and various cancers. One important mechanism for this carotenoid-disease relationship appears to be free radicals. Research indicates that diets low in alpha-carotene and carotenoids can increase the body’s susceptibility to damage from free radicals. As a result, over the long term, alpha-carotene deficient diets may increase tissue damage from free radical activity, and increase risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and cancers.

Toxicity Symptoms

What are toxicity symptoms for alpha-carotene?

High intake of carotenoid-containing foods or supplements is not associated with any toxic side effects. As a result, the Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences did not establish a Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) for carotenoids when it reviewed these compounds in 2000.

Impact of Cooking, Storage and Processing

How do cooking, storage, or processing affect alpha-carotene?

In certain cases, cooking can improve the availability of carotenoids in foods. For example, lightly steaming carrots and spinach improves your body’s ability to absorb the carotenoids in these foods.

Factors that Affect Function

What factors might contribute to a deficiency of alpha-carotene?

Carotenoids such as alpha-carotene are fat-soluble substances, and as such require the presence of dietary fat for proper absorption through the digestive tract. Consequently, your alpha-carotene status may be impaired by a diet that is extremely low in fat or if you have a medical condition that causes a reduction in the ability to absorb dietary fat such as pancreatic enzyme deficiency, Crohn’s disease, celiac sprue, cystic fibrosis, surgical removal of part or all of the stomach, gall bladder disease, and liver disease.

Due to low consumption of fruits and vegetables, many adolescents and young adults do not take in enough carotenoids. In addition, if you smoke cigarettes and/or drink alcohol, you may have lower than normal blood levels of alpha-carotene. Statistically speaking, smokers and drinkers eat fewer foods that contain carotenoids such as alpha-carotene. Also, researchers suspect that cigarette smoke destroys carotenoids. However, if you do smoke or drink, use carotenoid supplements with caution.

Nutrient Interactions

How do other nutrients interact with beta-carotene?

Supplementing your diet with pectin may decrease the absorption of carotenoids.

Health Conditions

Carotenoids may play a role in the prevention of the following health conditions:

Food Sources

What foods provide alpha-carotene?

Alpha-carotene can be found in concentrated amounts in a variety of foods including sweet potatoes, carrots, kale, spinach, turnip greens, winter squash, collard greens, cilantro, fresh thyme, cantaloupe, romaine lettuce and broccoli. carrots, winter squash, tomatoes, green beans, cilantro, Swiss chard, apples, avocadoes and cantaloupe

 

Food Source Analysis not Available for this Nutrient

Public Health Recommendations

What are current public health recommendations for alpha-carotene and carotenoids?

To date, no recommended dietary intake levels have been established for carotenoids. In an effort to set such recommendations, the Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences reviewed the existing scientific research on carotenoids in 2000.

Despite the large body of population-based research that links high consumption of foods containing beta-carotene and other carotenoids with a reduced risk of several chronic diseases, the Institute of Medicine concluded that this evidence was not strong enough to support a required carotenoid intake level because it is not yet known if the health benefits associated with carotenoid-containing foods are due to the carotenoids or to some other substance in the food.

However, the National Academy of Sciences supports the recommendations of various health agencies, which encourage individuals to consume five or more servings of fruits and vegetable every day.

References

  1. Agarwal S, Rao AV. Carotenoids and chronic diseases. Drug Metabol Drug Interact 2000;17(1-4):189-210. 2000. PMID:15130.
  2. Burri BJ. Carotenoids and gene expression. Nutrition 2000 Jul-2000 Aug 31;16(7-8):577-8. 2000. PMID:15140.
  3. Chen J, He J, Hamm L et al. Serum antioxidant vitamins and blood pressure in the United States population. Hypertension 2002 Dec;40(6):810-6. 2002.
  4. Delgado-Vargas F, Jimenez AR, Paredes-Lopez O. Natural pigments: carotenoids, anthocyanins, and betalains-- characteristics, biosynthesis, processing, and stability. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2000 May;40(3):173-289. 2000. PMID:15150.
  5. Groff JL, Gropper SS, Hunt SM. Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism. West Publishing Company, New York, 1995. 1995.
  6. Handelman GJ. The evolving role of carotenoids in human biochemistry. Nutrition 2001 Oct;17(10):818-22. 2001. PMID:15100.
  7. Krinsky NI. Carotenoids as antioxidants. Nutrition 2001 Oct;17(10):815-7. 2001. PMID:15110.
  8. Krutovskikh V, Asamoto M, Takasuka N, Murakoshi M, Nishino H, Tsuda H. Differential dose-dependent effects of alpha-, beta-carotenes and lycopene on gap-junctional intercellular communication in rat liver in vivo. Jpn J Cancer Res 1997 Dec; 88(12):1121-4. 1997.
  9. Lininger SW, et al. A-Z guide to drug-herb-vitamin interactions. Prima Health, Rocklin, CA, 2000. 2000.
  10. Miller KL. Alternatives to estrogen for menopausal symptoms. Clin Obstet Gynecol 1992 Dec;35(4):884-93. 1992.
  11. Pizzorno J, Murray M. The Textbook of Natural Medicine. The Textbook of Natural Medicine. 1998.
  12. Young AJ, Lowe GM. Antioxidant and prooxidant properties of carotenoids. Arch Biochem Biophys 2001 Jan 1;385(1):20-7. 2001. PMID:15120.
  13. Zhang LX, Cooney RV, Bertram JS. Zhang LX, Cooney RV, Bertram JS. Carotenoids enhance gap junctional communication and inhibit lipid peroxidation in C3H/10T1/2 cells: relationship to their cancer chemopreventive action. Carcinogenesis 1991 Nov;12(11):2109-14. 1991.
  14. Agarwal S, Rao AV. Carotenoids and chronic diseases. Drug Metabol Drug Interact 2000;17(1-4):189-210 2000. PMID:15130.
  15. Burri BJ. Carotenoids and gene expression. Nutrition 2000 Jul-2000 Aug 31;16(7-8):577-8 2000. PMID:15140.
  16. Chen J, He J, Hamm L et al. Serum antioxidant vitamins and blood pressure in the United States population. Hypertension 2002 Dec;40(6):810-6 2002.
  17. Delgado-Vargas F, Jimenez AR, Paredes-Lopez O. Natural pigments: carotenoids, anthocyanins, and betalains-- characteristics, biosynthesis, processing, and stability. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2000 May;40(3):173-289 2000. PMID:15150.
  18. Groff JL, Gropper SS, Hunt SM. Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism. West Publishing Company, New York, 1995 1995.
  19. Handelman GJ. The evolving role of carotenoids in human biochemistry. Nutrition 2001 Oct;17(10):818-22 2001. PMID:15100.
  20. Krinsky NI. Carotenoids as antioxidants. Nutrition 2001 Oct;17(10):815-7 2001. PMID:15110.
  21. Krutovskikh V, Asamoto M, Takasuka N, Murakoshi M, Nishino H, Tsuda H. Differential dose-dependent effects of alpha-, beta-carotenes and lycopene on gap-junctional intercellular communication in rat liver in vivo. Jpn J Cancer Res 1997 Dec; 88(12):1121-4 1997.
  22. Lininger SW, et al. A-Z guide to drug-herb-vitamin interactions. Prima Health, Rocklin, CA, 2000 2000.
  23. Miller KL. Alternatives to estrogen for menopausal symptoms. Clin Obstet Gynecol 1992 Dec;35(4):884-93 1992.
  24. Pizzorno J, Murray M. The Textbook of Natural Medicine. The Textbook of Natural Medicine 1998.
  25. Young AJ, Lowe GM. Antioxidant and prooxidant properties of carotenoids. Arch Biochem Biophys 2001 Jan 1;385(1):20-7 2001. PMID:15120.
  26. Zhang LX, Cooney RV, Bertram JS. Zhang LX, Cooney RV, Bertram JS. Carotenoids enhance gap junctional communication and inhibit lipid peroxidation in C3H/10T1/2 cells: relationship to their cancer chemopreventive action. Carcinogenesis 1991 Nov;12(11):2109-14 1991.