The secondary plant substance not only protects the plant in which it is originally found, it also has many positive effects on your body.
As an antioxidant, for example, it captures free radicals and ensures that oxidative stress in your body is reduced and the resulting inflammation can be reduced.
Your immune system also benefits. The following article provides information on what this is all about and how much beta-carotene you should consume per day.
Table of contents
1. What is beta-carotene?
Beta-carotene, sometimes also written ß-carotene, belongs to the group of carotenoids , which includes a total of about 700 different substances.
It gives many foods their reddish-yellow color , a fact the food industry has already realized. They therefore use it as a colorant (E160) to make margarine or spreads appear a little more vibrant.
Beta-carotene is converted into vitamin A, also known as retinol , through enzymatic breakdown in the small intestine and is therefore also known to many as provitamin A. The trace element zinc is essential for this .
Beta-carotene is only converted into vitamin A when the body suffers from a vitamin A deficiency . This particularly affects vegans , who avoid animal products such as milk and fish.
They are often deficient in vitamin A and therefore need to pay more attention to their intake of beta-carotene in order to meet their needs and maintain high vitamin A levels.
If you eat exclusively plant-based products, make sure you chop up fruits and vegetables and cook them warm with saturated fatty acids (e.g., coconut oil). This way, the beta-carotene is best absorbed by your body, as it is more bioavailable . [1]
Take-home message #1: Beta-carotene is the precursor to vitamin A and is only converted into the "eye vitamin" with the help of the trace element zinc. It is therefore also known as provitamin A. People who avoid animal products should pay particular attention to their beta-carotene intake to avoid a deficiency.
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2. Beta-carotene and its effects
As already mentioned, beta-carotene can function as a powerful antioxidant . Antioxidants mitigate the damaging effects of free radicals in the body.
Oxidative stress , the flooding of the body with too many free radicals, takes a real toll on your body . If you're constantly suffering from excessive negative stress because your email inbox is overflowing and your boss is constantly sending you more tasks, these radicals cause some of your body's cells to be destroyed.
Unpleasant consequences include exhaustion, difficulty concentrating, and memory lapses. Researchers have already proven this effect.
In a long-term study, they examined the effects of taking high-dose beta-carotene supplements on mental performance.
Subjects who supplemented the secondary plant substance for 18 years were significantly less affected by a reduction in their cognitive performance than the placebo group. They showed moderately improved memory skills. [2]
But be careful: This shouldn't be a signal for you to consume as much beta-carotene as possible. This secondary plant substance should be consumed with caution, as too much can also have negative effects. More on that later.
If your stress levels are constantly high and you don't sleep well, inflammation will increase in your body because it can no longer rest and regenerate.
Such so-called inflammations can be detected by certain markers, such as interleukin-6 (a signaling substance of the immune system). Besides beta-carotene, there are other chemical compounds in nature that act as antioxidants.
Antioxidants can protect your body from this stress. Scientists have shown in a study that the higher the beta-carotene level, the lower the interleukin-6 concentration in the blood. [3]
The secondary plant substance can therefore have an anti-inflammatory effect . Furthermore, Finnish scientists have investigated the positive effects of beta-carotene on cardiovascular diseases .
They investigated the extent to which the consumption of beta-carotene (and lycopene) affects the risk of developing a serious heart attack. This study found that those with comparatively high beta-carotene levels in their blood had a significantly lower risk.
Why? Because in this study, it was able to inhibit the oxidation of LDL cholesterol and thus prevent the formation of arteriosclerotic plaque in blood vessels. [4] [5] However, numerous further studies are needed to investigate this positive connection.
Take-home message #2: Beta-carotene is a natural antioxidant, which also includes other chemical compounds. Antioxidants can reduce the negative effects of oxidative stress and counteract the inflammation caused by this stress. The immune system is strengthened when inflammation in the body can be kept to a minimum.
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3. Beta-carotene and tan – never again sunscreen?
Have you ever noticed this? With an even tan, you often appear much healthier to others. Questions like, "Have you been on vacation? You look so relaxed and refreshed," quickly arise.
So it's no wonder that some people do everything they can to get some color in their rare free time, especially when they work hard in the office all day.
Taking beta-carotene capsules seems very obvious in this context, as we often hear that this could increase the skin's sun protection factor.
The promise sounds tempting at first, but constantly remembering to apply sunscreen is actually quite tedious. And as soon as you've jumped into the lake, you have to go back and apply it again.
It's annoying, completely understandable, but it also prevents your skin from lasting damage. How convenient would it be to protect yourself from destructive UV rays simply by consuming high-dose beta-carotene capsules?
It's true that beta-carotene is deposited in the skin . However, this supply doesn't provide effective protection against sun exposure .
The European Food Safety Authority considers the scientific data not yet reliable enough to allow manufacturers to claim "Beta-carotene tablets increase the skin's sun protection factor." Therefore, producers are not permitted to advertise their food supplements with this health claim. [6]
By the way: Even if you produce less of the bone- and teeth-strengthening vitamin D when you use sunscreen, you should definitely not forgo skin protection!
The cellular damage caused by intense sun exposure is significantly more serious. So enjoy sunbathing in moderation and treat yourself to a short break in the shade every now and then to let your skin breathe.
4. Beta-carotene – which foods contain this plant substance?
Beta-carotene is found primarily in plant-based foods . But that's not all; they contain much more than just the bioactive substance, including satiating fiber, minerals, and a variety of vitamins.
You can find out which foods contain beta-carotene with a very simple tip: Look at the color! If it's red or yellow, you can be pretty sure it contains carotenoids. These include, for example:
- Carrots: 8.4 mg/100 g
- Sweet potatoes: 7.9 mg/100 g
- red bell pepper: 3.5 mg/100 g
- Apricots: 0.8 mg/100 g
But there's always an exception: Would you suspect that green foods also contain beta-carotene? Why the yellowish-orange color isn't noticeable here is easy to explain: the chlorophyll it contains makes the orange color fade into the background.
- Kale: 8.6 mg/100 g
- Spinach: 3.2 mg/100 g
- Fennel: 4.7 mg/100 g
- Lamb's lettuce: 3.9 mg/100 g
- Swiss chard: 3.5 mg/100 g
Caution: The actual amount of beta-carotene in a given food depends on many factors, including the season and the ripeness of the food.
Even the conditions under which it is stored can reduce the beta-carotene concentration . Moreover, each part of a plant naturally contains a different amount of this secondary plant substance.
By the way : If you take beta-carotene in capsules or as a dietary supplement, you can utilize it much better than if you rely exclusively on natural food sources.
Examples of the amount of foods (in g) that cover your daily requirement of beta-carotene
5. Beta-carotene – the dosage matters
For a long time, heavy smokers in particular were recommended to take beta-carotene capsules or other forms of supplementation because it was supposed to protect against the development of lung cancer.
This recommendation is no longer made today, as studies have shown that high-dose consumption can reverse the desired effect. [7]
According to scientific studies, daily intake of 20 mg of so-called isolated beta-carotene (a substance that does not occur naturally through food) alone or together with vitamins A and E has led to an increased incidence of lung cancer. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) therefore recommends supplementing with a maximum of 2 mg of beta-carotene per day . [8]
Take-home message #3: Those who smoke frequently should be careful when consuming isolated carotenes!
6. Daily requirement of beta-carotene
The carotenoid group is relatively large , which is why you can meet your vitamin A (retinol) needs from various sources. The German Nutrition Society has therefore developed a system based on so-called retinol equivalents.
This conversion factor makes the intake of different plant substances comparable. The following table shows you how much each person should consume: If you look closely at the list, you'll quickly notice that men need slightly more vitamin A than women.
Women have a significantly increased need when they are expecting or breastfeeding . However, the German Society for Genetic Engineering (DGE) does not provide specific guidelines for the amount of beta-carotene , the precursor to vitamin A, that is needed . Frequently, between 2 and 4 mg are mentioned, which can be easily absorbed through a balanced diet.
7. Beta-carotene and its side effects
If you consume too much beta-carotene through food or dietary supplements, some of the excess will be stored in the body and some will be excreted.
If the oversupply continues, you will notice significant changes in your skin : you will get “ orange peel ”.
This has little to do with the quickly associated dimples; it simply means that your dermis is slowly taking on an increasingly intense yellow-orange hue—called carotenemia. This isn't serious or alarming. The effect subsides when your beta-carotene intake is reduced and your stores are depleted.
8. Conclusion
Beta-carotene is converted into vitamin A in the body and is therefore often referred to as provitamin A. It is found primarily in yellow and red foods. Regular consumption can help give your skin a browner complexion.
However, this does not provide any better protection against strong sunlight. In sustained, large amounts (20 mg daily), beta-carotene is now suspected of promoting lung cancer. A maximum of 2 mg daily intake is considered safe.
9. Sources
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10702576
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17998490
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17852073
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22158914
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8520706
[6] https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2009.1231
[7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18429004
[8] http://bfr.bund.de/cm/343/beta_carotin_in_nahrungsergaenzungsmitteln.pdf
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