Carotene

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Breast cancer risk¹

  Studies suggest carotene in the diet may be linked to a lower risk of breast cancer.

• Benefit

  Risk of dying²

  In studies of healthy adults, higher beta-carotene in diet or blood was linked to lower death risk.

• Benefit

  Eye health and cataracts³

  Eating more carotene and vitamin A may be linked to a lower risk of cataracts, but this is not certain.

• Benefit

  Sunburn protection from food⁴

  In people, eating carotene-rich foods like tomatoes for several weeks made sun-reddened skin less red.

• Open question

  Brain aging and memory⁵

  In older people, low carotene levels in the blood went with Alzheimer's, but we don't know if carotene prevents it.

• Concern

  Lung cancer risk⁷

  In a Finnish trial, male smokers taking beta-carotene supplements had more lung cancer, not less.

• Concern

  Cancer risk from supplements⁸

  Carotene in food seems helpful, but high-dose pills raised cancer cases in smokers and asbestos workers.

• Benefit

  Memory and thinking skills⁹

  Carotene eaten in food or taken with other vitamins may help keep thinking sharp, but scientists do not yet know for sure.

• Benefit

  Lung health in cystic fibrosis¹⁰

  In people with cystic fibrosis, beta-carotene supplements may mean fewer days on antibiotics for lung flare-ups, but the evidence is weak.

• Concern

  Lung cancer risk in smokers¹¹

  Smokers who took high doses of beta-carotene got lung cancer more often in some studies.

• Open question

  Cancer risk and diet¹²

  In people, carotene supplements are being tested in trials, but whether they lower cancer risk is not yet known.

• Benefit

  Fat and absorption¹³

  Eating fat with carotene helps the body take in more, but people vary a lot.

• Open question

  Skin colour changes¹⁴

  In people taking carotene pills, some skin turned yellow-orange, and some blood antioxidant levels changed.

• Benefit

  Anxiety in midlife women¹⁵

  In US midlife women, eating more beta-carotene was linked to less anxiety in early perimenopause, but not before it.

• Benefit

  Oxidative stress markers¹⁷

  In healthy people, carotene supplements raised blood carotene levels, but only the 40 mg dose lowered one oxidative stress marker.

Animal and lab studies only

• Benefit

  Artery plaque build-up¹⁹

  In mice, carotene helped clear fatty plaque from arteries, the authors say.

• Benefit

  Skin rash in mice²¹

  In mice, eating carotene made skin rash symptoms milder than in mice that did not get it.

• Benefit

  Vitamin A from food²²

  Bread made with orange sweet potato contains carotene the body can turn into vitamin A.

Study type not stated

• Open question

  Gut bacteria and health¹⁸

  Reviews of studies suggest carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E may change gut bacteria, but this link to health is unproven.

How it’s made and used

• Diet and milk nutrients⁶

  In nursing mothers, eating carrot paste raised the carotene levels in their breast milk.

• How the body absorbs it¹⁶

  Beta-carotene needs fat in your meal to get into your blood, and it builds up slowly over days.

• How much the body absorbs²⁰

  In lab studies, carotene in a Moringa seed protein emulsion was absorbed better at one acidity than another.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.

Expert panels that weigh all the research. Shown for context: the signal at the top does not count them.

• UN and WHO food additive experts (JECFA), 2026

  Reviewed its safety in 2026.