Supplements: Beta-Carotene. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Supplements: Beta-Carotene. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Eating beta-carotene-rich fruit and vegetables three times a day lowers the risk of heart disease and many cancer types.
During the early nineties scientists sang the praises of beta-carotene-rich foods and their ability to lower the risk of cancer and other diseases. Doctors started to subscribe beta-carotene supplements because of the successes of the food.
Boy, were they wrong. In 1994 a study of 29 000 male Finnish smokers on 20 milligrams of beta-carotene supplements a day had an increased incidence of lung cancer and heart disease.
It seems that alcohol and smoking put you at a higher risk when you take the supplements.
During 2000 another study, CARET (Carotene and Retinol Efficacy Trial), were stopped when patients receiving 30 milligrams of beta-carotene supplement a day, had an almost 50% higher risk of dying from lung cancer.
A lot more tests were done throughout the years and the conclusion is that beta-carotene supplements increased the risk of mortality.
Beta-Carotene-Rich foods also contain other members of the carotenoid family like alpha-carotene, zeaxanthin, lutein and lycopene. Some scientists suspect that the credit should go to these substances instead of beta-carotene.