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Article: As beta-carotene promise fades, focus turns to other carotenoids.
- Article from:
- Environmental Nutrition
- Article date:
- August 1, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Environmental Nutrition, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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You may know beta-carotene as the little pill that couldn't. Beta-carotene supplements were flying off the shelves, until studies in 1994 and 1996 found no benefit, and two even suggested they could harm smokers.
But beta-carotene is just one of 600 colorful pigments that belong to a family of natural plant chemicals called carotenoids." Carotenoids give fruits and vegetables their yellow, orange and red colors. They're also abundant in dark green vegetables, where their tell-tale colors are masked by even more abundant chlorophyll.
The most common carotenoids in blood and tissues are alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, lutein ...