Beta-carotene - a precursor to vitamin A

Eating a lot of carrots, tomatoes, and peppers can change your skin tone to a slightly yellowish or orangey color. This is due to the carotenoids they contain, especially beta-carotene. It's not an actual tan, but your skin tone can take on a warm glow, especially if you eat a lot of these foods regularly.

Why does this happen?
- Beta-carotene: Carrots, tomatoes, peppers, and other orange/red vegetables are rich in beta-carotene, which is a precursor to vitamin A.
- Storage in the skin: When you eat a lot of beta-carotene, the excess accumulates in fatty tissue and the surface layers of the skin. This can turn your skin tone yellowish or orange.
- Name of the phenomenon: This is called carotenemia. It's not a dangerous condition, but mainly a cosmetic change.

Which foods have the most effect?
- Carrots: By far the most well-known - even a few weeks of heavy use can show up on your skin.
- Tomato: Contains lycopene, which can give the skin a reddish tint.
- Bell pepper: Contains both beta-carotene and other carotenoids, which can affect skin color.
- Other orange/red vegetables: Pumpkin, sweet potato, tangerines and apricots can also increase the effect
The difference with sun tanning
- Sun: Tanning is caused by an increase in melanin in the skin due to UV radiation.
- Carotenoids: Give the skin a tone without UV radiation. The end result can be slightly yellowish or orange, not brown.
- Glow: Many people find that the skin looks healthier and more radiant, but it does not protect against the sun.
Is this dangerous?
- Not usually: Carotenemia is harmless and disappears when the carotenoid content in the diet decreases.
- Exception: If the skin color changes very strongly, it is worth making sure that there are no other diseases (e.g. liver or thyroid problems).
- Benefits: Carotenoids act as antioxidants and support skin health, so moderate consumption is beneficial.
Eating a lot of carrots, tomatoes and peppers can give the skin a warm, yellowish or orange tint. This is due to carotenoids, especially beta-carotene, which are stored in the skin. The phenomenon is harmless and reversible, and at the same time these vegetables support skin and eye health.
What happens in the skin?
- Beta-carotene is stored: Excess beta-carotene accumulates in fatty tissue and the surface layers of the skin.
- Tone changes: The skin can take on a yellowish or orange tint, especially on the palms and soles of the feet, where pigment accumulates most easily.
- The phenomenon is harmless: This is called carotenemia, and it is not dangerous. The tone returns to normal when the intake of carotenoids decreases.

Other sources of carotenoids
- Tomato (lycopene): Gives a reddish tone.
- Bell pepper, pumpkin, sweet potato: Also contain beta-carotene.

Practical interpretation
- Regular use of carrots (e.g. a few carrots a day) is not enough to cause a visible color change.
- A change in skin tone requires exceptionally abundant and long-term use, amounts that few people eat in everyday life.
- Moderate use still brings health benefits (antioxidants, vitamin A precursor), even if the color does not change.

Carotenoids and other oil-soluble vitamins are stored in the body, so balance is the key word.

Text by Copilot