Do Carrots Improve Eyesight?
Most people have been told that eating carrots will improve their eyesight. That is one of the things parents tell their children, along with things like an apple a day will keep the doctor away. But will eating carrots really improve your eyesight? Or is it just one of the many old legends which has nothing to do with the truth.
Researchers have conducted several studies to find out if the old saying is true or not. Actually, there are two sayings, one says that eating carrots will improve your eyesight and another says that eating carrots will improve your night vision.
Modern research has found out that vitamin A is important for eyesight and healthy eyes. Or rather, the other way around, lack of vitamin A may lead to a number of vision problems, including poor night vision, and in worst case cause blindness. Reduced night vision is one the first signs of a vitamin A deficiency. In the ancient Egypt it was known that eating liver could cure night vision problems. Today we know that liver contains high levels of vitamin A.
Carrots contain vitamin A so there is some truth in the old saying about carrots and eyesight. But an Australian study found out that as long as your diet is balanced, eating more carrots will not improve your eyesight or night vision. According to the study, carrots contain carotenoids, which are provitamins your body converts to vitamin A. But how much carotenoids get converted depends on how much vitamin A your body needs. If your body already has all the vitamin A it needs, it will not produce more vitamin A regardless of how many carrots you eat.
Vitamin A deficiency is not common in the western world, a reasonably balanced diet will give your body enough vitamin A. You can get vitamin A from foods that come from animals or from plants. Carrots contain very high levels of vitamin A, other good sources for vitamin A are broccoli, sweet potatoes and spinach.
To summarize: no, the old saying that eating carrots will improve your eyesight, or your night vision, is not true. But it is not just a myth, not getting enough vitamin A may damage your eyesight and deteriorating night vision is generally the first sign of vitamin A deficiency. And carrots are one of the best sources of vitamin A. But if your diet is balanced, eating more carrots will not improve your eyesight.
