Lower cancer risk

According to research published in the American Journal of Cancer Research, alpha-carotene and bioflavonoids present in carrots have been linked to a decreased risk of cancer, particularly lung cancer. Carrot antioxidants have been linked to a lower risk of numerous malignancies, including lung, colorectal, prostate, and leukemia. Carrots can help prevent cancer.

Dr. Kirsten Brandt and colleagues from Newcastle University's School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development discovered in 2009 that roasted whole carrots are "better at combating cancer". The British daily The Independent broke the story first. According to the newspaper, the study discovered that cooking carrots whole has 25% more of the "anti-cancer ingredient" falcarinol than cooking them diced up beforehand.

A previous study had shown that falcarinol reduced the growth of isolated cancer cells and tumors in rats, suggesting that this might be the active element in carrots, according to the researchers. They also stated that, while carrot consumption is significantly connected to a lower risk of cancer, the active element is unclear, and that the widely held idea that beta-carotene in carrots prevents cancer may not be entirely correct. They cited four-year-old animal research that found rats fed a diet including carrots or purified falcarinol were one-third less likely to develop tumors than those in a control group.