Carrot Intake and Risk of Developing Cancer: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Publisher: MDPI Publishing Country of Publication: Switzerland NLM ID: 101521595 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2072-6643 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 20726643 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Nutrients Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: Basel, Switzerland : MDPI Publishing

Daucus carota* ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Pancreatic Neoplasms*/epidemiology ; Pancreatic Neoplasms*/etiology ; Pancreatic Neoplasms*/prevention & control ; Leukemia*; Male ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Polyynes

A prospectively followed Danish cohort of 55,756 citizens with an observation time upwards of 25 years was investigated for association between eating raw carrots on a regular basis and developing various adenocarcinoma-dominant cancers and leukemia. Mean age at inclusion was 56.2 years (SD 4.4 years), and 52% were females. A dose-dependent reduction in incidence was seen for cancer of the lung (HR 0.76, CI95% 0.66; 0.87) and pancreas (HR 0.79, CI95% 0.61; 1.03), as well as leukemia (HR 0.91, CI95% 0.68; 1.21). Only for lung cancer was the association significant. In the case of pancreatic cancer, a possible type 1 error was present due to a low number of cancers. In cases of breast and prostate cancer, no association and no dose response were demonstrated. The association seen for lung and pancreatic cancer parallels that earlier demonstrated for large bowel cancer and indicates a cancer-protective effect from daily intake of raw carrots not limited to gastrointestinal adenocarcinomas. Processed carrots exhibited no effect. The preventive effect could be due to the polyacetylenic compounds falcarinol and falcarindiol in carrots, whereas carotene may not have an effect. The polyacetylenes are inactivated by heating, supporting our findings that only raw carrot intake has an effect. Indirect evidence for the cancer preventive effect of carrots in humans has reached a level where a prospective human trial is now timely.

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1021 2520 Odense University Hospital

Keywords: adenocarcinoma; cancer; carrots; falcarindiol; falcarinol; polyacetylenes; primary prevention

25067-58-7 (Polyynes)

Date Created: 20230211 Date Completed: 20230214 Latest Revision: 20230214

20231215

PMC9919376

10.3390/nu15030678

36771385