It also notes the percentage of your daily value of vitamin A that the food meets. Eating more fruits and vegetables can help you get more beta-carotene. Red, orange, deep yellow, and dark green produce tends to be high in carotenoids. Severe vitamin A problems can lead to blindness.

This is a leading cause of blindness in some parts of the world. But high doses over a long time can lead to carotenemia. This causes your skin to become yellowish orange. Too much beta-carotene is a problem for some people.

This includes people who can't convert beta-carotene to vitamin A. This can happen to people who have hypothyroidism.

Higher doses of vitamin A may increase the risk for fractures in both women past menopause, and in men. High dose supplements with preformed vitamin A are not advised during pregnancy. Too much may cause birth defects or miscarriage. Orlistat, a medicine for weight loss, decreases fat absorption in the body.

Because of this, it may also reduce absorption of beta-carotene and vitamin A. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin. Don't use vitamin A or beta-carotene supplements if you take any of these medicines. This is because they contain derivatives of vitamin A:. Search Encyclopedia. Beta-Carotene Other name s vitamin A, b-carotene, provitamin A General Beta-carotene is a type of substance called a carotenoid.

Main functions Beta-carotene and vitamin A play a vital part in the reproductive process. Demonstrated uses Beta-carotene and other carotenoids help reduce free radical damage in your body. Reasons for increased need Poor nutrition is a leading cause of beta-carotene and vitamin A deficiency.

These problems can keep you from getting enough vitamin A: Lactose intolerance Celiac disease Sprue Cystic fibrosis Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding may need to take supplements.

Claims Beta-carotene may reduce the risk of some types of cancer, such as prostate cancer. After multivariate adjustment, the geometric mean levels for the first and fifth quintiles of WBC count were To evaluate the possibility that the inverse association between serum β-carotene levels and markers of inflammation was due to the presence of clinical conditions that might affect β-carotene levels, inflammatory markers, or both, we repeated our analyses after excluding individuals who had prevalent diabetes mellitus or cardiovascular disease.

As displayed in Figure 1 , the results were essentially unchanged. In a nationally representative survey NHANES III , we documented that serum β-carotene concentration is strongly and inversely associated with systemic markers of inflammation CRP level and WBC count.

After adjustment for carotene intake and other possible confounders, persons with elevated systemic markers of inflammation had significantly lower levels of serum β-carotene. This inverse association between serum β-carotene levels and systemic markers of inflammation was demonstrated in never smokers, ex-smokers, and current smokers and persisted after exclusion of persons with clinical conditions that might confound the association.

An inverse association between serum β-carotene level and systemic markers of inflammation in a healthy population is biologically plausible. In adults with an acute illness, there is a transient decrease in serum β-carotene level with a simultaneous increase in CRP level, both of which normalize with resolution of the illness.

With the recent identification of a binding protein for β-carotene, 35 a similar relationship between the acute-phase response and serum β-carotene level could be hypothesized. Although reduced serum β-carotene concentration is probably the result of systemic markers of inflammation, another interpretation of these findings is that β-carotene has anti-inflammatory properties.

This conclusion is not supported by trials that show either no effect or a modest enhancement of immune system activity with supplemental β-carotene, 36 - 42 but additional data from clinical trials are needed to determine whether supplemental β-carotene affects systemic markers of inflammation.

Among the strengths of our analyses are the large, nationally representative survey and the remarkable consistency of our results in each category of smoking status, which persisted after adjustment for multiple potential confounders. One potential limitation is the imprecision of the measurements of CRP, WBC, serum β-carotene, and dietary intake, all based on single determinations.

Still, we found highly significant associations between inflammatory markers and serum levels of β-carotene. Results from our analyses have several implications.

These findings might partially explain the discrepancy between observational studies that associated low serum β-carotene levels with increased disease risk and clinical trials of β-carotene supplements.

For instance, in the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene trial, 6 low baseline serum levels of β-carotene were associated with an increased risk of lung cancer, whereas supplementation of the diet with β-carotene for 5 to 8 years actually increased incident lung cancer and cardiovascular disease events.

One reason for these discordant results might be that low levels of serum β-carotene reflect systemic markers of inflammation, itself a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and perhaps cancer.

To this end, prospective observational studies of serum β-carotene and subsequent disease risk, adjusted for inflammatory markers, would be informative, as would clinical trials that assess the effect of β-carotene supplementation on markers of inflammation. More broadly, our findings document the potential limitations of using serum nutrient levels as a surrogate for dietary intake, particularly in observational studies that assess the relationship between nutrient intake and subsequent disease.

Serum nutrient levels have appeal in epidemiologic studies in that they are more objective and might even be more precise than corresponding estimates from a single food frequency questionnaire or multiple hour dietary recalls.

However, as documented in this study, physiologic processes also affect serum levels and might reduce precision. Furthermore, serum nutrient levels are still subject to confounding with other nutrients and, in fact, are subject to additional confounding from physiologic determinants.

In summary, serum β-carotene level is strongly and inversely associated with systemic markers of inflammation, which themselves are markers of increased ASCVD risk and perhaps cancer. These findings have important implications for the interpretation of studies that show an increased risk of cancer and ASCVD in persons with reduced levels of serum β-carotene.

More broadly, these results highlight the potential limitations of using serum nutrient levels as a surrogate for dietary intake in observational studies. For β-carotene and likely other nutrients, it seems unwise to interpret biomarker data as prima facie evidence of dietary intake without a more complete understanding of the physiologic processes that affect nutrient levels.

This work was supported in part by grant T32PE from the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md. Corresponding author and reprints: Thomas P. Erlinger, MD, MPH, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, E Monument St, Suite , Baltimore, MD e-mail: terlinge jhmi.

full text icon Full Text. Download PDF Top of Article Abstract Participants and methods Results Comment Article Information References. View Large Download. Table 1. Peto RDoll RBuckley JDSporn MB Can dietary beta-carotene materially reduce human cancer rates? Kritchevsky SB β-Carotene, carotenoids and the prevention of coronary heart disease.

J Nutr. Street DAComstock GWSalkeld RMSchuep WKlag MJ Serum antioxidants and myocardial infarction: are low levels of carotenoids and alpha-tocopherol risk factors for myocardial infarction?

Hennekens CHBuring JEManson JE et al. Lack of effect of long-term supplementation with beta carotene on the incidence of malignant neoplasms and cardiovascular disease. N Engl J Med. Leppala JMVirtamo JFogelholm R et al. Controlled trial of alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene supplements on stroke incidence and mortality in male smokers.

Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. The Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study Group, The effect of vitamin E and beta carotene on the incidence of lung cancer and other cancers in male smokers.

Omenn GSGoodman GEThornquist MD et al. Effects of a combination of beta carotene and vitamin A on lung cancer and cardiovascular disease. Lee IMCook NRManson JEBuring JEHennekens CH Beta-carotene supplementation and incidence of cancer and cardiovascular disease: the Women's Health Study.

J Natl Cancer Inst. Cook NRStampfer MJMa J et al. Beta-carotene supplementation for patients with low baseline levels and decreased risks of total and prostate carcinoma. Albanes DMalila NTaylor PR et al. Effects of supplemental alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene on colorectal cancer: results from a controlled trial Finland.

Cancer Causes Control. Das I Raised C-reactive protein levels in serum from smokers. Clin Chim Acta. Stryker WSKaplan LAStein EAStampfer MJSober AWillett WC The relation of diet, cigarette smoking, and alcohol consumption to plasma beta-carotene and alpha-tocopherol levels. Am J Epidemiol.

Comstock GWMenkes MSSchober SEVuilleumier JPHelsing KJ Serum levels of retinol, beta-carotene, and alpha-tocopherol in older adults. Boosalis MGSnowdon DATully CLGross MD Acute phase response and plasma carotenoid concentrations in older women: findings from the Nun Study.

Talwar DHa TKScott HR et al. Effect of inflammation on measures of antioxidant status in patients with non—small cell lung cancer. Am J Clin Nutr. Iribarren CFolsom ARJacobs Jr DRGross MDEckfeldt JH Patterns of covariation of serum beta carotene and alpha tocopherol in middle-aged adults: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities ARIC Study.

Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. Louw JAWerbeck ALouw MEKotze TJCooper RLabadarios D Blood vitamin concentrations during the acute-phase response. Crit Care Med. Plit MLTheron AJFickl Hvan Rensburg CEPendel SAnderson R Influence of antimicrobial chemotherapy and smoking status on the plasma concentrations of vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, acute phase reactants, iron and lipid peroxides in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.

Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. Carrots and pumpkin contributed the most to dietary β-carotene intake in this population [32]. Data on the use of specific dietary supplements such as type and dose is currently limited.

Studies in the US have shown that dietary supplement use has increased over the past two decades [33]. Most people taking supplements are generally seeking health benefits, which could also be achieved by eating a healthy, well balanced diet.

Supplement use was significantly associated with gender females and conditions such as arthritis and osteoporosis, although the latter reason was likely to be representative of the population demographics in this particular study group [34].

Commonly cited reasons for use included health benefits, prevention of illness, sports performance, parental control, energy, poor diet and to do something positive for self [35].

Interestingly, studies have shown that dietary supplement use is similar between cancer survivors and cancer-free controls [36]. Increasingly complex mixtures of ingredients, which often contain other herbal and botanical compounds with anti-oxidant properties, are available in the market [37].

Consumers have access to numerous brands and formulations, including those available on the internet. In Australia, dietary supplements are sold at places such as supermarkets, chemists and health food stores. β-carotene is available as an individual supplement or as part of a multi-vitamin preparation.

Vitamin A preparations usually contain retinyl palmitate as the active ingredient. As an indication at the time of writing this position statement, supplements available in Australia contained between 1—6.

Common brands recommended taking one to three tablets per day, making the maximum dose of β-carotene from any supplement 9 mg if taken according to the supplement instructions. Therefore amounts greater than the equivalent UL of 18 mg β-carotene in the NRVs may be obtained if tablets are taken in excess of the recommended dosage see Table 6 for recommended ULs.

The NRVs do not contain an UL for β-carotene intake for dietary supplement use due to a lack of dose-response information in the literature [1]. β-carotene is of low toxicity and until recently was thought to only cause yellowing of the skin after sustained high intake{{Cite footnote Citation:West CE.

However recent epidemiological evidence shows that high doses of β-carotene supplements might increase the risk of lung cancer, particularly in smokers. Cancer Council supports the Australian Dietary Guidelines that recommend eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, and the population recommendation of at least two serves of fruit and five serves of vegetables daily see Table 7 [38].

Cancer Council recommends that people eat a variety of fruit and vegetables, including a range of different coloured fruit and vegetables, to obtain maximum benefits. Table 7. Sample fruit and vegetable serving sizes in the Australian Dietary Guidelines [38].

This position statement approved by the Public Health Committee September and updated in February Back to top Back to position statements. National Cancer Control Policy. home Preventable risk factors Tobacco control Obesity UV radiation Alcohol and cancer Occupational cancers Screening and immunisation Principles of screening Cancer vaccines Breast cancer Bowel cancer Cervical cancer Liver cancer Prostate cancer Cancer care Drug access and affordability.

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View View source History What links here Related changes Special pages Permanent link Page information Cite this page Browse properties. Position statement - Beta-carotene and cancer risk From National Cancer Control Policy.

Jump to: navigation , search. Position statement - Beta-carotene and cancer risk. Essentials of Human Nutrition. New York: Oxford University Press; Vitamin A and carotenoids.. Nutrient reference values for Australia and New Zealand including recommended dietary intakes.

Nutrient tables for use in Australia NUTTAB A review of epidemiologic evidence that carotenoids reduce the risk of cancer.

Effects of a combination of beta carotene and vitamin A on lung cancer and cardiovascular disease. The Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta Carotene Cancer Prevention Study Group.

Food, nutrition, physical activity, and the prevention of cancer: a global perspective. Washington DC: AICR; Diet, nutrition and the prevention of chronic diseases. Geneva: WHO; Lyon: IARC; Carotenoids and the risk of developing lung cancer: a systematic review. Beta-carotene in multivitamins and the possible risk of lung cancer among smokers versus former smokers: a meta-analysis and evaluation of national brands.

Effects of selenium supplements on cancer prevention: meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Beta-carotene supplementation and cancer risk: a systematic review and metaanalysis of randomized controlled trials. Efficacy of antioxidant supplementation in reducing primary cancer incidence and mortality: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Vitamins C and E and beta carotene supplementation and cancer risk: a randomized controlled trial. Beta-carotene supplementation and incidence of cancer and cardiovascular disease: the Women's Health Study. Effects of beta-carotene supplementation on cancer incidence by baseline characteristics in the Physicians' Health Study United States.

Antioxidants in the chemoprevention of colorectal cancer and colorectal adenomas in the general population: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Efficacy of antioxidant vitamins and selenium supplement in prostate cancer prevention: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Dietary compared with blood concentrations of carotenoids and breast cancer risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Vitamin or antioxidant intake or serum level and risk of cervical neoplasm: a meta-analysis. Meta-analysis of antioxidant intake and the risk of esophageal and gastric cardia adenocarcinoma.

Dietary beta-carotene intake and the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer: a meta-analysis of 3, subjects from five observational studies. Meta-analysis of studies on breast cancer risk and diet: the role of fruit and vegetable consumption and the intake of associated micronutrients.

Carotenoids and breast cancer risk: a meta-analysis and meta-regression. Antioxidant vitamins and the risk of endometrial cancer: a dose-response meta-analysis. Diet and bladder cancer: a meta-analysis of six dietary variables.

Commercially available supplements typically contain between 1. Supplements should be used short-term under the direction of your health care provider. Possible side effects from this carotenoid include headache, burping, loose stools, bruising, joint pain and yellowing skin, although the discoloration eventually goes away.

People who smoke or drink heavily should avoid taking this carotenoid. Studies show that it causes an increased risk of cancer. People with a history of exposure to asbestos should also avoid using beta-carotene supplements because they may increase the risk of liver disorder or heart disease.

Tell your doctor if you take beta-carotene supplements while taking cholesterol-lowing drugs, antibiotics, proton pump inhibitors, or listat or plant sterols.

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Medical News Today. Health Conditions Health Products Discover Tools Connect. All you need to know about beta carotene. By Tim Newman on December 14, What is beta carotene? Uses and benefits Foods Side effects. How we vet brands and products Medical News Today only shows you brands and products that we stand behind.

Our team thoroughly researches and evaluates the recommendations we make on our site. To establish that the product manufacturers addressed safety and efficacy standards, we: Evaluate ingredients and composition: Do they have the potential to cause harm?

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Read more about our vetting process. Was this helpful? Share on Pinterest Carrots are an excellent source of beta carotene. Uses and benefits of beta carotene. Which foods are rich in beta carotene?

Side effects. How we reviewed this article: Sources. The research results were mixed, but most did not find the hoped-for benefits. Antioxidants are still added to breakfast cereals, sports bars, energy drinks, and other processed foods , and they are promoted as additives that can prevent heart disease, cancer, cataracts, memory loss, and other conditions.

Randomized placebo-controlled trials, which can provide the strongest evidence, offer little support that taking vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, or other single antioxidants provides substantial protection against heart disease, cancer, or other chronic conditions.

The results of the largest trials have been mostly negative. A modest effect of vitamin E has been found in some studies but more research is needed.

A study from the Journal of Respiratory Research found that different isoforms of vitamin E called tocopherols had opposing effects on lung function.

Lung function was tested using spirometric parameters: higher parameters are indicative of increased lung function, while lower parameters are indicative of decreased lung function. The study found that higher serum levels of alpha-tocopherol were associated with higher spirometric parameters and that high serum levels of gamma-tocopherol were associated with lower spirometric parameters.

Though the study was observational in nature, it confirmed the mechanistic pathway of alpha- and gamma-tocopherol in mice studies. When it comes to cancer prevention, the picture remains inconclusive for antioxidant supplements. Few trials have gone on long enough to provide an adequate test for cancer.

High-dose antioxidant supplements can also interfere with medicines. Vitamin E supplements can have a blood-thinning effect and increase the risk of bleeding in people who are already taking blood-thinning medicines.

Some studies have suggested that taking antioxidant supplements during cancer treatment might interfere with the effectiveness of the treatment.

Inform your doctor if starting supplements of any kind. One possible reason why many studies on antioxidant supplements do not show a health benefit is because antioxidants tend to work best in combination with other nutrients, plant chemicals, and even other antioxidants.

For example, a cup of fresh strawberries contains about 80 mg of vitamin C, a nutrient classified as having high antioxidant activity. Polyphenols also have many other chemical properties besides their ability to serve as antioxidants.

There is a question if a nutrient with antioxidant activity can cause the opposite effect with pro-oxidant activity if too much is taken. This is why using an antioxidant supplement with a single isolated substance may not be an effective strategy for everyone.

Differences in the amount and type of antioxidants in foods versus those in supplements might also influence their effects. For example, there are eight chemical forms of vitamin E present in foods. However, vitamin E supplements typically only include one form, alpha-tocopherol.

Epidemiological prospective studies show that higher intakes of antioxidant-rich fruits, vegetables, and legumes are associated with a lower risk of chronic oxidative stress-related diseases like cardiovascular diseases , cancer, and deaths from all causes. The following are nutrients with antioxidant activity and the foods in which they are found:.

Excessive free radicals contribute to chronic diseases including cancer, heart disease, cognitive decline, and vision loss.

Keep in mind that most of the trials conducted have had fundamental limitations due to their relatively short duration and inclusion of people with existing disease. At the same time, abundant evidence suggests that eating whole in fruits , vegetables , and whole grains —all rich in networks of naturally occurring antioxidants and their helper molecules—provides protection against many scourges of aging.

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Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The Nutrition Source does not recommend or endorse any products. Skip to content The Nutrition Source.

The Nutrition Source Menu. Search for:. Home Nutrition News What Should I Eat? In , a rating tool called the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity ORAC was created by scientists from the National Institute on Aging and the United States Department of Agriculture USDA. It was used to measure the antioxidant capacity of foods.

The USDA provided an ORAC database on its website highlighting foods with high ORAC scores, including cocoa, berries, spices, and legumes. Blueberries and other foods topping the list were heavily promoted in the popular press as disease-fighters even if the science was weak, from cancer to brain health to heart disease.

However, 20 years later the USDA retracted the information and removed the database after determining that antioxidants have many functions, not all of which are related to free radical activity.

Although this was not a primary endpoint for the trial, it nevertheless represents an important outcome. In the Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation HOPE trial, the rates of major cardiovascular events were essentially the same in the vitamin E A recent trial of vitamin E in Israel, for example, showed a marked reduction in coronary heart disease among people with type 2 diabetes who have a common genetic predisposition for greater oxidative stress.

In the Supplementation en Vitamines et Mineraux Antioxydants SU. MAX study, 13, French men and women took a single daily capsule that contained mg vitamin C, 30 mg vitamin E, 6 mg beta-carotene, mcg selenium, and 20 mg zinc, or a placebo, for seven and a half years.

The vitamins had no effect on overall rates of cardiovascular disease. Lung disease A study from the Journal of Respiratory Research found that different isoforms of vitamin E called tocopherols had opposing effects on lung function.

Cancer When it comes to cancer prevention, the picture remains inconclusive for antioxidant supplements. MAX randomized placebo-controlled trial showed a reduction in cancer risk and all-cause mortality among men taking an antioxidant cocktail low doses of vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, selenium, and zinc but no apparent effect in women, possibly because men tended to have low blood levels of beta-carotene and other vitamins at the beginning of the study.

Age-related eye disease A six-year trial, the Age-Related Eye Disease Study AREDS , found that a combination of vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and zinc offered some protection against the development of advanced age-related macular degeneration, but not cataracts, in people who were at high risk of the disease.

However, relatively short trials of lutein supplementation for age-related macular degeneration have yielded conflicting findings. The study found that people taking the vitamins were less likely to progress to late-stage AMD and vision loss.

However, the study authors noted that taking lutein and zeaxanthin alone or vitamin E alone did not have a beneficial effect on these eye conditions. The Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial SELECT Eye Endpoints Study, which followed 11, men for a mean of five years, did not find that vitamin E and selenium supplements, in combination or alone, protected from age-related cataracts.

It did not find that antioxidant supplements of vitamin E or selenium, alone or in combination, protected against dementia compared with a placebo.

Early death A meta-analysis of 68 antioxidant supplement trials found that taking beta-carotene and vitamin A and E supplements increased the risk of dying. It was also difficult to compare interventions because the types of supplements, the dosages taken, and the length of time they were taken varied widely.