Carotenoids Linked to Lower Breast Cancer Risk

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found high concentrations of carotenoids in the blood, specifically beta and alpha carotene and lycopene, were linked to an 18 percent to 28 percent reduction in breast cancer risk.

Those carotenoids are commonly found in vegetables like carrots, tomatoes and kale.

This study started back in 1989. Researchers looked at the blood samples of over 30,000 women. They were also asked to fill out questionnaires about their lifestyles to assess their baseline risks for breast cancer. In the year 2000, 18,000+ of those women returned to donate blood a second time.

By 2010, 2,188 of the volunteers had developed breast cancer. The researchers compared the blood samples of women who had similar cancer-risk baselines and found those participants who had the highest amounts of carotenoids in their blood had a 18 percent to 28 percent lower risk of breast cancer, when compared to the low-carotenoid group.

Additionally, the study suggested high levels of in-blood carotenoids also reduced the risk of more aggressive and recurring breast cancer.

More research is needed before a published research paper becomes textbook fact. However, this is another indication of the importance of fruits and vegetables to a healthy lifestyle.

P.S. Carrots are a rich source of antioxidants (cancer fighters), which boost your immune system, protect against disease as well as accelerated aging.

To make one pound of Just Carrots powder, it takes twenty-five pounds of juiced raw carrots.