What is 'carrot tan'? New TikTok trend claiming of natural tan, how true it is?

TikTok is spurred by a new trend - “carrot tan”.A new beauty trend claiming that eating three carrots a day will give you a natural beautiful tan. But the question is how true that is and how healthy it is? The question is simple but the answer is not.

Carrots are rich in cartenoid, a natural pigment that gives red, orange and yellow colours to fruits and vegetables. There are many types of cartenoids - lutein, lycopene, alpha-carotene and beta-carotene. It is beta-carotene (a cartenoid) that is responsible for a carrot’s vibrant orange colour.

Do carrots really affect your skin colour?

As per basic biology, once a beta-carotene containing food like carrot is digested, cells break it down into two molecules of vitamin A (also known as retinol). This vitamin A is then used in various critical bodily functions such as vision, reproduction, immunity and growth.

But our body is in full control of this entire process of conversion of beta-carotene into vitamin A. Which is why, based on what our body needs, our body convert the beta-carotene accordingly- like slowing it down or stopping the conversion process into vitamin A entirely.

All the extra beta-carotene is then stored in the liver, fat tissue, excreted, or removed via sweat glands in the outer layer of the skin. This is when the orange skin “tan” can possibly happen. And if that happens, then it is called carotenoderma.

Carotenoderma gives your skin a yellow/orange pigment that is not the same colour you would turn from a sun tan. It is concentrated in the palms of the hands, the soles of the feet and smile lines near the nose.

Beta-carotene is also found in parsley, basil, chives, chilli powder, sun-dried tomatoes and some dietary supplements.

Consumption matters when it comes to carrots

As per experts, consuming few carrots then and now won’t make any difference to your skin colour (if they can at all).

No high quality trials have been conducted to test the relationship between number of carrots eaten per day and skin colour changes or other outcomes.

But as per one published case report, one patient was found eating around three kilogrammes of carrots per week (about seven large carrots a day), which induced colour changes to his skin.

Other experts suggest you would need to eat at least ten carrots per day, for at least a few weeks, for colour changes to occur. The amount of carrots needed to change skin colour will also depend on the variety of carrot and person's health.

(With inputs from agencies)

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