Beta-carotene
Beta-carotene is the orange pigment in carrots and sweet potatoes, and the body's main plant source of vitamin A. It has no daily amount of its own: it counts toward vitamin A.
No set daily amount
12 µg from food gives 1 µg of vitamin A, or 2 µg in an oil-based supplement
Upper limit · none set; the vitamin A limit covers preformed vitamin A only
- Most per 100 g 8,387µg Sweet potato
- Most per portion 9,561µg 1 medium sweet potato
- Main sources Orange vegetables then dark leafy greens and mango
- Smokers Skip pills 20 to 30 mg a day raised lung cancer risk
Conversion factors and the vitamin A RDA: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Food figures per 100 g from USDA FoodData Central.
Foods High in Beta-carotene
Ranked per 100 g, with what a usual portion gives, limited to 3 foods per category. Foods with a Caltide calorie page link to it.
S
Sweet potato
9561 µg in 1 medium
Nutrition facts
8,387µg / 100 g
C
Carrots
5054 µg in 1 medium
Nutrition facts
8,285µg / 100 g
T
Turnip greens
10626 µg in 1 cup
6,440µg / 100 g
B
Boston lettuce
4,495µg / 100 g
L
Lettuce
1700 µg in 1 cup, shredded
Nutrition facts
3,617µg / 100 g
C
Cantaloupe
1918 µg in 1.0 wedge medium
2,780µg / 100 g
A
Arugula
1,424µg / 100 g
A
Apricot
383 µg in 1 apricot
1,094µg / 100 g
M
Melon
1557 µg in 1 cup
1,038µg / 100 g
P
Pot pie (no meat)
1997 µg in 1 slice
951µg / 100 g
W
Wasabi peas
1081 µg in 1 cup
901µg / 100 g
Per 100 g vs. a Usual Portion
Why the food that ranks first per 100 g can give less in a real serving.
| Food | Usual portion | Per 100 g | Per portion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet potato | 1 medium (114 g) | 8,387µg | 9561µg |
| Carrots | 1 medium (61 g) | 8,285µg | 5054µg |
| Spinach | 1 cup, raw (30 g) | 3,400µg | 1020µg |
| Lettuce | 1 cup, shredded (47 g) | 3,617µg | 1700µg |
| Bell pepper | 1 medium (119 g) | 1,624µg | 1933µg |
| Mango | 1 cup, sliced (165 g) | 640µg | 1056µg |
Lettuce and spinach look strong per 100 g, but leaves weigh little: a cup of shredded lettuce gives a fraction of what one sweet potato does.
What Is Beta-Carotene?
Beta-carotene is a carotenoid: a fat-soluble pigment that plants make to collect light and protect their leaves from it. Its long chain of alternating double bonds absorbs blue light, which is why it looks orange.
How the Body Turns Beta-Carotene Into Vitamin A
In the wall of the small intestine, an enzyme called BCO1 cuts beta-carotene in the middle. Each half becomes retinal, a form of vitamin A. The eye uses retinal to see in dim light, and the body turns some of it into retinoic acid, which guides cell growth and immune defense.
The conversion slows when vitamin A stores are full. That is why eating a lot of beta-carotene does not cause vitamin A poisoning, while the same amount of vitamin A as retinol can. Some people also convert less than others, because of common differences in the gene for BCO1.
How Much Vitamin A Is in One Carrot
A medium raw carrot of 61 g holds about 5,054 µg of beta-carotene. At 12 to 1, that is about 421 µg of vitamin A from one carrot, 53% of the 800 µg on EU food labels. Adults need 700 to 900 µg of vitamin A a day (US RDA).
How to Absorb More Beta-Carotene From Food
Beta-carotene is locked inside plant cells and dissolves only in fat. Cooking, chopping, and pureeing break the cells open, and a little oil, butter, or nuts in the same meal carries it into the body. A raw carrot stick on its own gives up much less than a carrot soup made with oil.
Beta-Carotene in a Typical Day of Food
A day built only from foods in the Caltide library, in usual portions, with no supplements.
| Meal | Food | Amount | Beta-carotene |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Egg | 50g | 5.5µg |
| Snack | Mango | 165g | 1056µg |
| Lunch | Spinach | 30g | 1020µg |
| Lunch | Tomatoes | 123g | 488µg |
| Lunch | Carrots | 61g | 5054µg |
| Dinner | Salmon | 125g | 11µg |
| Dinner | Sweet potato | 114g | 9561µg |
| Dinner | Broccoli | 91g | 85µg |
| Total | 17280µg |
Divided by 12, the 17,280 µg of beta-carotene in this day gives about 1,440 µg of vitamin A, 180% of the 800 µg EU label reference, before counting any vitamin A from eggs, fish or dairy. Adults need 700 to 900 µg a day.
Who Is Most Likely to Be Low in Vitamin A
Vitamin A deficiency is rare in the US and Europe, but the WHO counts it as a public health problem in many low-income countries, where diets depend on plant sources. People who eat no animal foods get all their vitamin A from carotenoids, so orange and green vegetables matter more for them. Conditions that impair fat absorption, such as cystic fibrosis, lower carotenoid absorption too.
Common Beta-Carotene Mistakes
Treating pills like carrots. The lung cancer risk for smokers came from high-dose supplements in two large trials, not from vegetables.
Counting beta-carotene as vitamin A one to one. From food it takes 12 µg to make 1 µg of vitamin A, so 8,400 to 10,800 µg of beta-carotene covers the 700 to 900 µg of vitamin A adults need a day.
Mistaking orange palms for jaundice. Carotenemia tints the palms and soles but leaves the whites of the eyes white. It is harmless and fades over weeks to months of eating less.
Beta-Carotene Supplements and Vitamin A Labels
Supplements are a second source of beta-carotene, and a much more concentrated one. How much vitamin A a microgram gives depends on where it comes from.
| Source | For 1 µg vitamin A | For 700 - 900 µg vitamin A |
|---|---|---|
| Retinol (preformed vitamin A) | 1µg | 700 - 900µg |
| Beta-carotene in an oil-based supplement | 2µg | 1,400 - 1,800µg |
| Beta-carotene in food | 12µg | 8,400 - 10,800µg |
| Alpha-carotene or beta-cryptoxanthin in food | 24µg | 16,800 - 21,600µg |
Beta-Carotene and Lung Cancer in Smokers
In the ATBC study, 20 mg of beta-carotene a day raised lung cancer cases in male smokers. CARET, using 30 mg with vitamin A, was stopped early for the same reason. When the AREDS eye formula was updated, its beta-carotene was replaced with lutein and zeaxanthin partly because of this risk.
What Lowers Beta-Carotene Absorption
- Spreads with added plant sterolsthey lower blood beta-carotene, so EU labels advise eating fruit and vegetables regularly
- The weight-loss drug orlistatit blocks fat absorption, and fat-soluble nutrients with it
Sources are listed at the end of this page. Not medical advice.
How to Track Beta-Carotene in Caltide
- Logged automaticallyCaltide adds up the beta-carotene in every food you log and shows the total in the Nutrition tab. There is no daily target, since beta-carotene has none of its own.
- Supplements count tooAdd your supplement once with its beta-carotene as an ingredient. Each day you tick it off, it counts toward your total.
Beta-carotene Sources and References
The figures and claims on this page are checked against these sources. Food amounts come from USDA FoodData Central.
Questions About Beta-carotene
No. Beta-carotene is a plant pigment the body turns into vitamin A when it needs it. From food, 12 µg of beta-carotene gives 1 µg of vitamin A (RAE).
In the Caltide food library, sweet potato: 8,387 µg per 100 g. Carrots (8,285 µg) and Turnip greens (6,440 µg) come next.
No. Beta-carotene has no daily amount of its own; it counts toward vitamin A, which adults need at 700 to 900 µg a day (US RDA). EU food labels use 800 µg as their reference.
Yes. Large amounts can tint the palms and soles yellow-orange, a harmless condition called carotenemia. The whites of the eyes stay white, which sets it apart from jaundice, and the color fades when intake drops.
No. In two large trials, ATBC and CARET, 20 to 30 mg of beta-carotene a day raised lung cancer risk in smokers, and CARET also included asbestos workers. Beta-carotene from food was not the problem.
Yes, much better. Beta-carotene dissolved in oil in a supplement counts 2 µg for 1 µg of vitamin A, against 12 µg from food, partly because plant cells hold much of it back.
The body takes up more from cooked, chopped or pureed carrots, eaten with some fat. Raw carrots have 8,285 µg per 100 g in the Caltide food library, but less of it is freed from the plant cells.
No. The body converts less beta-carotene when its vitamin A stores are full, so the adult upper limit of 3,000 µg for vitamin A applies only to preformed vitamin A, not to beta-carotene.
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