Insights & Discussion
Higher carrot consumption is associated with a lower risk of developing lung cancer, particularly adenocarcinoma.
The researchers carried out a meta-analysis of both case-control and prospective cohort studies. They executed a thorough search of PubMed and Embase databases from inception until April 2018 without limiting language. The studies included in their analysis were ones that reported odds ratios or relative risk for lung cancer risk within the highest and lowest categories of carrot consumption. The analysis incorporated a total of eighteen eligible studies that encompassed 17 case-control studies and one cohort study, involving 202,969 individuals and 5,517 lung cancer patients.
The meta-analysis of the combined eighteen studies showed a significant association between higher carrot consumption and reduced risk of lung cancer. Subgroup analysis for different types of lung cancer showed that this association was especially pronounced for adenocarcinoma. Despite testing the robustness of their results by excluding each study one by one, the fundamental result regarding the protective effect of carrot intake against lung cancer remained unchanged. The comprehensive synthesis of observational studies therefore suggested that higher carrot consumption might serve as a preventative measure against lung cancer, notably adenocarcinoma.
Discover Related Insights
Regular consumption of raw carrots is associated with a significant, dose-dependent reduction in lung cancer incidence, suggesting a potential cancer-protective effect attributed to polyacetylenic compounds, particularly falcarinol and falcarindiol, present in raw carrots.
2023 Nutrients Carrot Intake and Risk of Developing Cancer: A Prospective Cohort Study Deding U, Baatrup G, Kaalby L, Kobaek-Larsen M
Cohort Study Adenocarcinoma Cancer Cancer Risk
This research involved a long-term study of 55,756 Danish citizens over a period of more than 25 years. The focus was on investigating the relationship between regular consumption of raw carrots and the development of various cancers, predominantly adenocarcinomas and leukemia. The study assessed whether the frequency of carrot consumption influenced the incidence of lung, pancreatic, breast, prostate cancer, and leukemia. Additionally, it compared the effects of eating raw versus processed carrots.
The study found that eating raw carrots regularly was associated with a reduced occurrence of lung cancer. This link was less clear for pancreatic cancer and non-existent for breast and prostate cancer. The research suggested that the cancer-preventive properties of raw carrots could be attributed to specific compounds, namely falcarinol and falcarindiol. These compounds are not present in cooked carrots. This significant finding points towards the potential of raw carrots in cancer prevention, particularly for lung cancer.
Carrot and carotene consumption could diminish the risk of a wide range of negative health consequences, including multiple types of cancer.
2023 Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture Carrot and carotene and multiple health outcomes: an umbrella review of the evidence Yi X, Li J, Liao D, Peng G, Zheng X, Xu H, et al.
Review Article Alzheimer's Disease Anticancer Breast Cancer
An umbrella review methodology was adopted to identify connections between carrot and carotene intake and various health outcomes. We turned to databases such as Web of Science, PubMed, and Embase to find the needed data. The analysis included the collected evidence from both interventional and observational studies that focused on carrots, carotene, and any related health impact. To estimate the summary effect size for each correlation, both random and fixed effects models were employed.
The study reviewed a total of 1329 studies and utilized the data from 30 meta-analyses with 26 health outcomes that fit the eligibility requirements. These featured outcomes related to various types of cancer, fractures, age-related cataract, sunburn, and Alzheimer's disease. The associations were analyzed between the health outcomes and the intake of carrots, intake of carotene, and serum carotene levels.