alpha-carotene

Foods Richest in alpha-carotene

No food chart data available.

About alpha-carotene

What can foods with alpha-carotene do for you?

What events and lifestyle factors can indicate a need for more alpha-carotene-containing foods?

Food sources of alpha-carotene include carrots, winter squash, tomatoes, green beans, cilantro and Swiss chard. Light steaming or consuming these foods raw preserves carotenoid bioavailability.

For serving size for specific foods, see Nutrient Rating Chart below at the bottom of this page.

Description

What is alpha-carotene?

Alpha-carotene is one of the most abundant carotenoids in the North American diet. It belongs to the provitamin A group, roughly 50 carotenoids that the body can convert into retinol, an active form of vitamin A. Because of differences in its ring structure, alpha-carotene has approximately half the vitamin A activity of beta-carotene.

How it functions

Deficiency symptoms

What are deficiency symptoms for alpha-carotene?

Low dietary intake of alpha-carotene is not known to directly cause disease in the short term. When vitamin A intake is simultaneously low, a deficiency of alpha-carotene and other provitamin A carotenoids can produce symptoms associated with vitamin A deficiency, including impaired dark adaptation and compromised mucosal integrity.

Long-term inadequate carotenoid intake is associated with increased incidence of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. One proposed mechanism involves reduced capacity to quench singlet oxygen and peroxyl radicals. Diets chronically low in alpha-carotene leave cell membranes more vulnerable to lipid peroxidation, which over time may promote atherogenesis and mutagenesis.

Toxicity symptoms

What are toxicity symptoms for alpha-carotene?

High intake of carotenoid-containing foods is not associated with toxic side effects. The Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences did not establish a Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) for carotenoids when it reviewed these compounds in 2000.

Impact of cooking, storage and processing

How do cooking, storage, or processing affect alpha-carotene?

Cooking can improve carotenoid bioavailability in certain foods. Lightly steaming carrots and spinach disrupts plant cell walls, releasing carotenoids from the food matrix and improving intestinal absorption.

Factors that affect function

What factors might contribute to a deficiency of alpha-carotene?

Alpha-carotene is fat-soluble and requires dietary fat for absorption through the digestive tract. Status may be impaired by extremely low-fat diets or by medical conditions that reduce fat absorption: pancreatic enzyme deficiency, Crohn’s disease, celiac sprue, cystic fibrosis, partial or total gastrectomy, gall bladder disease, and liver disease.

Many adolescents and young adults consume insufficient carotenoids due to low fruit and vegetable intake. Cigarette smokers and regular alcohol drinkers tend to have lower serum alpha-carotene levels. This reflects both lower consumption of carotenoid-containing foods and accelerated carotenoid degradation by cigarette smoke constituents. Carotenoid supplementation in smokers warrants caution given the findings from the ATBC and CARET trials.

Nutrient interactions

How do other nutrients interact with alpha-carotene?

Pectin supplementation may decrease carotenoid absorption by binding carotenoids in the intestinal lumen.

Health conditions

Carotenoids have been studied in connection with the following health conditions:

Food sources

What foods provide alpha-carotene?

Alpha-carotene is found in concentrated amounts in sweet potatoes, carrots, kale, spinach, turnip greens, winter squash, collard greens, cilantro, fresh thyme, cantaloupe, romaine lettuce and broccoli.

 

Food Source Analysis not Available for this Nutrient

Public health recommendations

What are current public health recommendations for alpha-carotene and carotenoids?

No recommended dietary intake levels have been established for carotenoids. The Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences reviewed the scientific literature on carotenoids in 2000.

Despite substantial population-based research linking high consumption of carotenoid-containing foods with reduced risk of several chronic diseases, the Institute of Medicine concluded that the evidence was insufficient to set a required intake level. The central question remains whether the observed health benefits come from the carotenoids themselves or from other bioactive compounds in the same foods.

The National Academy of Sciences supports recommendations from health agencies encouraging five or more daily servings of fruits and vegetables.

Related Articles

References

  1. Agarwal S, Rao AV. Carotenoids and chronic diseases. Drug Metabol Drug Interact 2000;17(1-4):189-210. 2000. PMID:15130. https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/58.4.1047
  2. Burri BJ. Carotenoids and gene expression. Nutrition 2000 Jul-2000 Aug 31;16(7-8):577-8. 2000. PMID:15140. https://doi.org/10.1001/JAMA.1977.03270420029011
  3. Chen J, He J, Hamm L et al. Serum antioxidant vitamins and blood pressure in the United States population. Hypertension 2002 Dec;40(6):810-6. 2002. https://doi.org/10.1161/01.hyp.0000039962.68332.59
  4. Delgado-Vargas F, Jimenez AR, Paredes-Lopez O. Natural pigments: carotenoids, anthocyanins, and betalains-- characteristics, biosynthesis, processing, and stability. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2000 May;40(3):173-289. 2000. PMID:15150.
  5. Groff JL, Gropper SS, Hunt SM. Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism. West Publishing Company, New York, 1995. 1995.
  6. Handelman GJ. The evolving role of carotenoids in human biochemistry. Nutrition 2001 Oct;17(10):818-22. 2001. PMID:15100. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0022-3565(25)30832-3
  7. Krinsky NI. Carotenoids as antioxidants. Nutrition 2001 Oct;17(10):815-7. 2001. PMID:15110.
  8. Krutovskikh V, Asamoto M, Takasuka N, Murakoshi M, Nishino H, Tsuda H. Differential dose-dependent effects of alpha-, beta-carotenes and lycopene on gap-junctional intercellular communication in rat liver in vivo. Jpn J Cancer Res 1997 Dec; 88(12):1121-4. 1997. https://doi.org/10.1079/095442200108729016
  9. Lininger SW, et al. A-Z guide to drug-herb-vitamin interactions. Prima Health, Rocklin, CA, 2000. 2000.
  10. Miller KL. Alternatives to estrogen for menopausal symptoms. Clin Obstet Gynecol 1992 Dec;35(4):884-93. 1992. https://doi.org/10.1097/00003081-199212000-00022
  11. Pizzorno J, Murray M. The Textbook of Natural Medicine. The Textbook of Natural Medicine. 1998. https://doi.org/10.1016/c2015-0-02243-2
  12. Young AJ, Lowe GM. Antioxidant and prooxidant properties of carotenoids. Arch Biochem Biophys 2001 Jan 1;385(1):20-7. 2001. PMID:15120. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmedent/13.4-5.515
  13. Zhang LX, Cooney RV, Bertram JS. Zhang LX, Cooney RV, Bertram JS. Carotenoids enhance gap junctional communication and inhibit lipid peroxidation in C3H/10T1/2 cells: relationship to their cancer chemopreventive action. Carcinogenesis 1991 Nov;12(11):2109-14. 1991.
  14. Agarwal S, Rao AV. Carotenoids and chronic diseases. Drug Metabol Drug Interact 2000;17(1-4):189-210 2000. PMID:15130. https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/58.4.1047
  15. Burri BJ. Carotenoids and gene expression. Nutrition 2000 Jul-2000 Aug 31;16(7-8):577-8 2000. PMID:15140. https://doi.org/10.1001/JAMA.1977.03270420029011
  16. Chen J, He J, Hamm L et al. Serum antioxidant vitamins and blood pressure in the United States population. Hypertension 2002 Dec;40(6):810-6 2002. https://doi.org/10.1161/01.hyp.0000039962.68332.59
  17. Delgado-Vargas F, Jimenez AR, Paredes-Lopez O. Natural pigments: carotenoids, anthocyanins, and betalains-- characteristics, biosynthesis, processing, and stability. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2000 May;40(3):173-289 2000. PMID:15150.
  18. Groff JL, Gropper SS, Hunt SM. Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism. West Publishing Company, New York, 1995 1995.
  19. Handelman GJ. The evolving role of carotenoids in human biochemistry. Nutrition 2001 Oct;17(10):818-22 2001. PMID:15100. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0022-3565(25)30832-3
  20. Krinsky NI. Carotenoids as antioxidants. Nutrition 2001 Oct;17(10):815-7 2001. PMID:15110.
  21. Krutovskikh V, Asamoto M, Takasuka N, Murakoshi M, Nishino H, Tsuda H. Differential dose-dependent effects of alpha-, beta-carotenes and lycopene on gap-junctional intercellular communication in rat liver in vivo. Jpn J Cancer Res 1997 Dec; 88(12):1121-4 1997. https://doi.org/10.1079/095442200108729016
  22. Lininger SW, et al. A-Z guide to drug-herb-vitamin interactions. Prima Health, Rocklin, CA, 2000 2000.
  23. Miller KL. Alternatives to estrogen for menopausal symptoms. Clin Obstet Gynecol 1992 Dec;35(4):884-93 1992. https://doi.org/10.1097/00003081-199212000-00022
  24. Pizzorno J, Murray M. The Textbook of Natural Medicine. The Textbook of Natural Medicine 1998. https://doi.org/10.1016/c2015-0-02243-2
  25. Young AJ, Lowe GM. Antioxidant and prooxidant properties of carotenoids. Arch Biochem Biophys 2001 Jan 1;385(1):20-7 2001. PMID:15120. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmedent/13.4-5.515
  26. Zhang LX, Cooney RV, Bertram JS. Zhang LX, Cooney RV, Bertram JS. Carotenoids enhance gap junctional communication and inhibit lipid peroxidation in C3H/10T1/2 cells: relationship to their cancer chemopreventive action. Carcinogenesis 1991 Nov;12(11):2109-14 1991.