Carotenemia: Can eating too many carrots make your skin turn orange?
Baku, September 10, AZERTAC
Carrots and other orange fruits and vegetables are rich in a pigment known as beta-carotene.
In humans, this pigment is converted to vitamin A by specialized cells in the small intestine.
When high levels of beta-carotene are consumed, not all of the pigment is converted to vitamin A. Some of it is circulated in the blood stream.
If these high levels are sustained for some time, the skin may begin to take on an orange hue, a condition known as carotenemia.
According to Encyclopedia Britannica, carotenemia often manifests itself in the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet and commonly appears on the nose.
The condition, however, is not uncommon in babies and toddlers, who may enjoy pureed carrots or sweet potatoes to excess for their small bodies.
Although it can be confused with jaundice, excess accumulation of bile pigments in the bloodstream, carotenemia does not affect the whites of the eyes and is generally considered harmless.
Fortunately, the skin discoloration fades after the diet is changed and the levels of beta-carotene in the blood decline.
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