Food Science and Nutrition: 5 servings of carrots per week reduce the risk of any type of cancer by 20%

 A popular and affordable product turned out to be even more useful than we thought.

In view of the approach of the New Year, researchers from the University of Newcastle (UK) decided to find out what useful properties have vegetables, which are often used as a side dish to festive dishes. In particular, scientists whose article was published in the journal Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition were interested in carrots.

This root crop has powerful anti-cancer properties, which means that it is necessary to include it in your diet as often as possible, scientists are sure. The anti-cancer properties of carrots have been studied before, but mainly studies have focused on beta-carotene, a plant pigment that gives carrots its orange color. However, beta-carotene alone has not shown any benefit in reducing the risk of cancer in clinical trials.

But in carrots there are also other, colorless, biologically active substances, polyacetylenes. They are known to have an anti-cancer effect. Therefore, scientists from Newcastle decided to focus on the consequences of eating not individual chemical substances, but a whole root crop containing natural substances in a harmonious combination.

The authors conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the results of almost 200 studies, which studied the relationship between the level of carrot consumption and the risk of different types of cancer. A total of 4.7 million people took part in these studies. As a result, it was found that five 80-gram servings of carrots per week (400 grams) reduce the risk of any type of cancer by 20% compared to the complete absence of this vegetable in the diet. At the same time, even one portion of carrots per week also works - they reduce the risk of cancer by 4%. Thus, carrots in any form - both raw and cooked - must be present on your table both on weekdays and holidays.