Carotenoids are a family of antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables.
A study done at the New York University School of Medicine looked at 270 women diagnosed with breast cancer and 270 healthy women. They found that the women with the lowest levels of carotenoids in the blood had twice the incidence of breast cancer than the women with the highest levels. (American Journal of Epidemiology, 2001)
Another study from the University of Montreal looked at 411 women diagnosed with breast cancer and 429 healthy women. They found that in women with a high intake of carotenoids plus a high intake of DHA (an omega 3 fatty acid found in fish oils) the cancer risk was cut in half. (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2004).
There are many different carotenoids which are found in many different fruits and vegetables, particularly orange vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes and dark green vegetables like spinach. The most well known is beta carotene, but other important carotenoids include lutein which is important for eye health and lycopene which has been shown to decrease the risk for prostate cancer. |
