What Is alpha-Carotene & What Foods Can I Find It In?
alpha-Carotene is a member of the group of carotenoids.
alpha-Carotene is the second most common form of carotene.
The first is beta-carotene. alpha-Carotene and beta-carotene are provitamin A carotenoids.
It means that they can convert in the body to vitamin A.
alpha-Carotene produces half the vitamin A that beta-carotene does.
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alpha-Carotene Is An Important Carotenoid
alpha-Carotene is an important carotenoid that is derived from plants.
It is also called as provitamin A or vitamin A precursor. Vitamin A is widely used in human body to enhance immunity.
alpha-Carotene is one of the active components of carrots and it also plays a role in human body.
It is a type of natural pigment that is responsible for the orange color of carrots and other orange vegetables.
alpha-Carotene is mostly found in certain fruits and vegetables like carrots, tomatoes, cantaloupe, mangoes and sweet potatoes.
Benefits Of alpha-Carotene
alpha-Carotene is found in many fruits and vegetables and has been linked to a reduced risk of cancer.
It seems to be beneficial in prevention of cancer.
A study done at the University of Pennsylvania, which found that smokers who consumed more carotenoids had a lower risk of dying from lung cancer.
alpha-Carotene can be used as an antioxidant to provide anti-oxidant properties to the skin.
The Three Most Common Carotenoids
alpha-Carotene is the second most common form of carotenoids.
alpha-Carotene, beta-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin are all primarily regarded as precursors of vitamin A. (source ◳)
These three carotenoids are common in orange-, yellow-, and green colored fruits and vegetables such as carrots, pumpkins, apricots, sweet potatos, and beans. (source ◳)
Alfa and beta
alpha-Carotene and beta-Carotene have different biological activities, but both can be converted to vitamin A in the body.
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Foods You Can Find alpha-Carotene In
You find alpha-Carotene mostly in vegetable products.
Examples of food sources include
- Carrots
- Carrot Juice
- Sweet Red Peppers
- Pumpkin
- Squash
- Calabaza
Foods in our nutrition tool
You can find regularly updated top ranked lists of foods for over 200+ nutrients in our nutrition tool.
If you are interested in what foods contain the most alpha-Carotene, we recommend you visit our tool.
Here's our top ranked list of foods that contain alpha-Carotene.