Health Club

Tim Radford, science editor
Wednesday February 9, 2005
The Guardian

British and Danish scientists have identified a compound in carrots that may help fend off cancer.

A natural toxin called falcarinol reduced the risk of cancer developing in rats by a third, scientists from Newcastle University and the University of Southern Denmark report today in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

The research could lead to new weapons in the arsenal of anti-cancer drugs. Falcarinol protects carrots against fungal diseases such as liquorice rot, a blight that grows on roots during storage.

The researchers studied 24 laboratory rats, all with pre-cancerous tumours, divided them into three groups and fed them a range of diets for 18 weeks. The rats given carrots with their ordinary feed, and the group given a matching dose of falcarinol in their feed, were one-third less likely to develop full-scale tumours than the control group.

"We already know that carrots are good for us and can reduce the risk of cancer but until now we have not known which element of the vegetable has these special properties," said Kirsten Brandt of Newcastle University.

"We now need to take it a step further by finding out how much falcarinol is needed to prevent the development of cancer and if certain types of carrot are better than others, as there are many varieties in existence, of different shapes, colours and sizes. We could also expand our research to include other vegetables."

Carrots are well-known as a source of vitamin A, important in preventing blindness in the young. But vitamin A is toxic in large quantities, and there are medical reports of people who have died from overdoses of carotene, the precursor compound that gives carrots their colour.

Falcarinol, which may work by stimulating the body's cancer-fighting mechanisms, is also toxic in large amounts. But to achieve a lethal dose, a carrot lover would have to consume 400kg (882lb) of carrots at one sitting.

Source : www.guardian.co.uk

Carrot Juice Recipe