One carrot a day can keep heart diseases at bay: Interesting ways to add it to your daily diet

For good heart health, include carrots regularly in your diet: eat them raw, shredded in salads, cooked, juiced, roasted, and added to stews and soups. Also continue eating a variety of other fruits and vegetables daily. Your heart will thank you.

By: Satata Karmakar | | Published: December 12, 2020 6:06 pm

Have one carrot daily to keep heart diseases at bay: Study

Suffering from heart-related diseases? Include carrots regularly in your diet: eat them raw, shredded in salads, cooked, juiced, roasted, and added to stews and soups. Your heart will thank you. Wondering what’s the link? Well, carrots are a good source of beta-carotene, which is a precursor of vitamin A and to get the full health benefits of this superfood, we need an active enzyme to produce this vitamin. Also Read - Premature greying of hair: This is what your body is trying to tell you

BETA-CAROTENE REDUCES ‘BAD’ CHOLESTEROL

Beta-carotene is the bioactive compound that gives carrots their orange colour. Studies with humans and mice show the conversion of beta-carotene to vitamin A reduces “bad” cholesterol in the blood. Also Read - Heart diseases are becoming more common in younger people: Tips to prevent it naturally

Thus, beta-carotene can help protect against atherosclerosis development, which leads to the accumulation of fats and cholesterol in our arteries. Atherosclerosis cardiovascular disease is the primary cause of death worldwide. Also Read - How to prevent a trip to the hospital due to 'Holiday Heart Syndrome’ this Christmas

A new research team that conducted two studies to further understand the effects of beta-carotene on cardiovascular health confirmed its importance but identified a critical step in the process.

Beta-carotene converts to vitamin A with the help of an enzyme called beta-carotene oxygenase 1 (BCO1).

“A genetic variation determines if you have a more or less active version of BCO1. People with a less active enzyme could need other sources for vitamin A in their diet,” one of the researchers said.

ANALYSIS OF THE BLOOD AND DNA SAMPLES

The first study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, analysed blood and DNA samples from 767 healthy young adults aged 18 to 25.

As expected, the researchers found a correlation between BCO1 activity and bad cholesterol level.

“People who had a genetic variant associated with making the enzyme BCO1 more active had lower cholesterol in their blood. That was our first observation,” study author Jaume Amengual from the University of Illinois in the US noted.

To follow up on these findings, the team conducted a second study, published in the Journal of Lipid Research, using mice.

“The main findings of the mice study reproduce what we found in humans. We saw that when we give beta-carotene to mice, they have lower cholesterol levels,” the authors wrote.

These mice develop smaller atherosclerosis lesions, or plaques, in their arteries.

“This means that mice fed beta-carotene are more protected against atherosclerosis than those fed a diet without this bioactive compound,” Amengual stated.

INTERESTING WAYS TO INCLUDE CARROTS TO YOUR DIET

One of the most protective foods against heart disease was carrots. For every 25 grams (about half a carrot) of carrots eaten daily, the risk of coronary heart disease decreased by 32%. Eat a carrot a day to keep the heart doctor away! Here are some of the interesting ways to include it in your daily diet.

#Carrot Juice

Carrot juice is extracted from whole carrots and extremely nutritious. It not only provides potassium and vitamin C but also is very rich in provitamin A. Drinking carrot juice is thought to boost immunity and improve your heart health. The potassium and antioxidants in carrot juice may help lower blood pressure and decrease risk factors for heart disease.

#Carrot Oatmeal

Incorporate carrots into heart-healthy meals. Finely grate carrots into your morning oatmeal and then top your bowl with walnuts and cinnamon for “carrot cake” oatmeal.

#Carrot Salad

Combine steamed carrots with mint and olive oil for a simple but delicious salad, or eat carrot sticks paired with guacamole for a decadent-tasting snack. You can also add celery and some other green leafy vegetables for some extra nutrition.

#Carrot And Coriander Soup

Winter is here! And this is the best time to enjoy soups. If you are a heart patient, add some carrots to your soup along with some coriander sticks. Reduce salt further by using homemade vegetable stock or by using a low salt stock cube.

#Turmeric And Carrot Smoothie

Purple carrots are high in anthocyanins, as well as alpha- and beta-carotene. Anthocyanins have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties, help protect against heart-related diseases, and support a healthy immune system.

Published : December 12, 2020 6:06 pm

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