Carotenoids: what they do and where to find them
Carotenoids are the yellow, orange and red pigments of plants and algae. The body turns some, like beta-carotene, into vitamin A; others, like lutein and lycopene, stay as they are.
List of Carotenoids
The carotenoids most common in food first, then astaxanthin, which comes mostly from seafood and supplements. Each card shows the food in the Caltide library with the most of it.
Daily Amounts and Top Food Sources
| Nutrient | Daily Amount | Top Food per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Beta-carotene | No set daily amount | Sweet potato |
| Lutein + zeaxanthin | No set daily amount | Dandelion greens |
| Lycopene | No set daily amount | Sun-dried tomatoes |
| Alpha-carotene | No set daily amount | - |
| Astaxanthin | No set daily amount | - |
Questions About Carotenoids
Carotenoids are fat-soluble pigments made by plants, algae and some microbes; they give carrots, tomatoes and salmon their color. More than 600 are known, and about 50 are common in the human diet.
Beta-carotene, alpha-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin. Lutein, zeaxanthin, lycopene and astaxanthin do not become vitamin A.
No. No carotenoid has its own daily amount; beta-carotene and alpha-carotene count toward vitamin A instead. It takes 12 mcg of beta-carotene from food, or 24 mcg of alpha-carotene, to give 1 mcg of vitamin A (RAE).
Supplements are another source, with mixed results. In the AREDS2 trial, a formula with 10 mg of lutein and 2 mg of zeaxanthin slowed intermediate age-related macular degeneration, but in two large trials beta-carotene supplements raised lung cancer risk in smokers.
Eat them with some fat, since carotenoids dissolve in fat. Chopping and cooking also free them from plant cells, which is why cooked tomato gives more usable lycopene than raw.
From food, the only effect is carotenemia, a harmless yellow-orange skin tint that fades when intake drops. Beta-carotene from food does not cause vitamin A toxicity the way preformed vitamin A can.
Caltide adds up beta-carotene, lycopene, and lutein with zeaxanthin from the foods you log and the supplements you tick, and shows them in the Nutrition tab. Alpha-carotene and astaxanthin are not totaled yet.
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