Today's rumor is that some people say that you should not drink alcohol when eating carrots, because when the concentration of β -carotene is high, it will combine with free radicals, turning carotene from an antioxidant into a pro-oxidant that attacks normal cells. Excuse me, is this true?
A: I doubt it. For this reason, the garden specially checked the information for two days to have a look.
Indeed, experiments have shown that β -carotene itself not only has antioxidant effect, but also can promote the oxidation reaction initiated by free radicals. This is related to the properties of carotene itself and the redox potential of its environment, which is based on the study of cell experiments in vitro.
In fact, alcohol itself will increase the degree of oxidative stress in the body. A large number of studies have shown that excessive drinking can induce a large number of free radicals in the body, leading to lipid peroxidation, which may also be one of the incentives for alcoholic liver disease. However, while drinking and eating carrots, does β -carotene play an antioxidant role or promote oxidation?
In 2009, a study on the general antioxidant status of drinking mice by taking β -carotene in Taiwan Province Province found that the concentration of glutathione (GSH) in the liver of drinking mice and mice taking β -carotene supplements was significantly higher than that of drinking mice alone. The existence of β -carotene helped to reduce the inhibition of some peroxides on glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and improve their antioxidant capacity, but it did not show the increase of oxidation.
On the contrary, drinking alone will lead to more oxidation of the body. The experiment also showed that the group of mice without β -carotene supplementation could only mobilize their own antioxidant system for self-defense after drinking. Moreover, compared with the control group, taking β -carotene supplement is helpful to alleviate the liver injury caused by alcohol in mice (the dosage is 30% of the total energy, and β -carotene is provided at 500ug/kg body weight).
20 10 an in vitro hepatocyte experiment conducted by Taipei medical college in Taiwan Province province showed that β -carotene could reduce alcohol-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis by inhibiting the expression of caspase-9 and caspase-3.
From 65438 to 0999, an Israeli study also showed that both synthetic β -carotene supplements and β -carotene in Dunaliella can prevent oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation caused by alcohol, and the effect of supplementing β -carotene through Dunaliella is better.
Therefore, the argument that drinking carrots causes β -carotene to change from antioxidant to pro-oxidant is untenable at present. On the contrary, animal experiments also show that it is helpful to improve the antioxidant capacity and reduce the oxidative damage of alcohol to the body, and the experiment is based on the large consumption of carotene and alcohol. However, this does not mean that there is no problem with drinking, but that drinking will do some harm to the body. It is recommended not to drink alcohol and alcoholic beverages, and drink less if you can.
In addition, there are many foods containing β-carotene, except carrots, broccoli, kale, celery leaves, spinach, shepherd's purse, fennel, Chinese cabbage and so on. They are all rich in beta carotene. Eat it.
References:
Effect of β -carotene on antioxidant status in rats with chronic drinking. Cell biochemical function 2009; 27 (6): 344-50
Can β -carotene regulate cell growth through redox mechanism? Answers from cultured cells. Journal of Biochemistry and Biophysics in 2005; 1740: 2 15–22 1.
3. Moshe J Werman et al. Utilization rate and antioxidant effect of β -carotene from Dunaliella salina in drinking rats. Nutr。 Biochemistry1999; 10:449-454.
4, Leo horse, Lieber CS. Alcohol, Vitamin A and β-carotene: Adverse interactions, including hepatotoxicity and carcinogenicity. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1999 Jun; 69(6): 107 1-85.
5. Peng Xingzhong, Chen et al. β -carotene has antioxidant and anti-apoptosis effects, and can prevent ethanol-induced toxicity of isolated rat hepatocytes. Phytotherapy research 2010; 24(S2):S 183-S 189
Li Yuanyuan: Yi, the first registered dietitian in China, holds a master's degree in nutrition and food hygiene, and is a national senior nutrition lecturer. I love nutrition and do popular science. I have been doing popular science work related to nutrition and health since my employment, and I have always regarded it as a serious matter to convey reliable, grounded and temperature-sensitive nutrition and health knowledge.