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06.08.2024

More carotenoids in your diet, less chance of obesity

Carrots, leafy vegetables, cabbage and other vegetables contain carotenoids such as beta-carotene and lutein. A diet that provides significant amounts of these substances through regular foods increases the chance of a healthy body weight.

Study
Chinese researchers from Qingdao University analyzed data collected in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2007 to 2018. By the way, this information is available on the internet.

25,868 study participants had completed questionnaires about their diet. This allowed the researchers to estimate how many carotenoids the study participants consumed daily. The researchers also knew the body weight of the study participants. In their study, which was published in the Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology, the Chinese calculated whether a high intake of carotenoids reduced the risk of obesity.

Carotenoids activate signaling molecules such as AMPK and PGC-1-alpha. Through this mechanism, carotenoids can delay aging, reduce the risk of dementia and improve the functioning of the innate immune system. The Chinese wondered whether carotenoids could accelerate fat metabolism and also protect against obesity.

Case
When the researchers divided the study participants into 3 equally sized groups based on their total carotenoid intake, they saw that the risk of obesity in the group with the highest intake was 18 percent smaller than in the group with the lowest intake. Beta-carotene was especially protective.

The researchers were able to smooth out the effect of factors such as age, income, exercise and caloric intake.

Click on the table below for a larger version.

The researchers were able to calculate a dose-response relationship between total carotenoid intake and obesity and summarize this in the figure above. At the highest intake of 30 milligrams of carotenoids per 1,000 kilocalories per day, the risk of obesity was reduced by approximately 40 percent.

Math problem
magine that you need 2500 kilocalories every day. If you want to reduce your risk of obesity by 40 percent, you need 75 milligrams of carotenoids daily. If you want to get all those carotenoids from carrots, you need about a kilo of them every day. [International Journal of Food Properties. 2011;14:1060-8.]

Oops. That's quite a lot.

Source:
J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2023;69(6):402-11.

More:
50 milliliters of carrot juice goes in, one kilo of body fat goes out 24.11.2023
Does lutein speed up fat loss? 13.01.2016
Daily glass of tomato juice makes you slimmer 28.03.2015
Daily glass of tomato juice makes you slimmer 28.03.2015

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