Turns Out Eating Too Many Carrots Really Can Turn Your Skin Orange

Carrots are some of the most versatile veggies in the produce aisle. Whether they're shredded in a salad, roasted in the oven, juiced for a smoothie or baked in a cake, carrots are an appropriate ingredient for every meal of the day. But as nutritious and delicious as they are, carrots also prove that too much of a good thing can sometimes be bad. And by bad, we mean Oompa Loompa bad. Fact: Eating too many carrots can actually turn your skin orange. It's a medical condition known as carotenemia and, aside from the shock you'll get from seeing your skin turn a cartoonish color, the condition is generally harmless. So, what's happening here? My #patient with #carotenemia. His palm against mine. #medicine #healthissues #spotdiagnosis #NoJaundice #hypervitaminosis #medicineissues A photo posted by Kgaogelo (@kgao_ntshwana) on Mar 4, 2015 at 4:56am PST Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, a natural pigment that gives the root vegetable its orange color. When you consume too many carrots -- or sweet potatoes, pumpkins, or any other food that is similarly high in carotene -- excess beta-carotene will enter the bloodstream and be stored under the skin, thus giving it a yellow, orange or golden tint. What qualifies as "too many carrots" is different for each person since it depends on an individual's metabolism, but an average, healthy dosage of beta-carotene is six to eight milligrams a day. According to a Columbia University health blo...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news