Carrots have long been touted as being rich in compounds that help with vision, but their health benefits extend beyond sight alone. Carrots are low in calories and have a high water content, making them a hydrating and nutritious snack. A single, 100-gram serving of carrots contains nearly 100% of the daily recommended intake of Vitamin A while containing only 40 calories.
Rather than a single entity, vitamin A refers to a group of fat-soluble compounds and includes both retinols and carotenoids. As a whole, vitamin A plays many critical roles within the body: from immune function to cellular communication. One of the best-known places where vitamin A acts in the body is in the eye. If you have ever heard the old stories about carrots leading to improved eyesight – vitamin A is the reason why!
Carrots, and other orange, red or yellow produce are rich in vitamin A. In the retina of the eye, retinol combines with a protein called opsin to form rhodopsin, a pigment that is essential for the process of vision, particularly in low-light conditions. When light hits rhodopsin, it undergoes a chemical change that triggers nerve impulses, allowing us to see.
Beyond this, the benefits of vitamin A extend to other domains of health.
There is considerable evidence that carrots have the potential to reduce age-related inflammation and damage in the brain through its anti-inflammatory effects.
The compound of interest is known as luteolin which is a naturally occurring antioxidant found in various fruits, vegetables and herbs – including carrots. Luteolin acts by neutralizing free radicals in the body which protect cells from damage and reduce oxidative stress. There is emerging evidence to suggest that luteolin may help protect the brain from age-related degeneration and reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
An article published in The Journal of Nutrition in 2010 by Dr. Rodney Johnson and colleagues at the University of Illinois highlights the anti-inflammatory brain benefits of luteolin. The team designed a study that included two cohorts of mice: young adult mice and older aged mice. Even amongst mice, the researchers found that older mice have greater levels of inflammation in their brain tissue and performed significantly worse on memory tests than the younger mice.
The research team fed half of the mice a standard diet, and half of the mice a diet supplemented with luteolin. They subsequently studied the brain cells from both the older and younger subsets of animals in a region of the brain called the hippocampus. The hippocampus is the site of memory formation and where we initiate learning – and notably, is often smaller in size in the brains of older adults.
The research team found that in the mice fed a luteolin supplement, there were reduced signs of inflammation in the hippocampus. In addition, they found that the luteolin-supplemented group had improved spatial memory and learning tasks in both age groups. The authors concluded that luteolin may have been able to neutralize free radicals and protect the hippocampal cells from damage and stress that occur with normal aging.
In summary, this exciting study indicates that increased dietary intake of luteolin, which carrots and other deeply pigmented fruits and vegetables are rich in, was associated with a reduction in age-related inflammation and subsequent decline in learning and memory-dependent activities. While this research has only been shown in an animal model, it is quite compelling data to suggest that luteolin truly has neuroprotective effects!
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