Two of the most colorful characters in the field of functional medicine are Durk Pearson and Sandy Shaw. Their 1982 book Life Extension: A Practical Scientific Approach sold over two million copies and created tremendous interest in the use of supplements to improve health and possibly prolong life. But what made Pearson and Shaw colorful was more than their passion for their work and their eccentric personalities (Pearson was known for wearing leather Star Trek outfits in public). What made them colorful was the fact that in many of their public appearances in the ’80s their skin was yellow – literally.

Their unusual skin tone wasn’t due to jaundice or a cut-rate tanning salon but to the fact that they both took mega dosages of an organic pigment called beta-carotene. Although that color may not be the most attractive skin tone (they say the change is more evident in blonds and redheads), Pearson reassures observers that it poses no health hazards. Apart from all this weirdness, Pearson and Shaw can be credited with helping to popularize the value of antioxidants such as beta-carotene. Furthermore, alpha-carotene, which like beta-carotene belongs to a class of compounds called carotenoids, has equally impressive health benefits.

Alpha-carotene (also known as a-carotene) is a carotenoid most commonly found in yellow, orange and dark green vegetables. This compound was studied in an epidemiological investigation sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control. An epidemiological study is one that examines the association between a variable (in this case, alpha-carotene) and a disease (in this case, death).

This particular study is considered retrospective, in the sense that it looks at results that have already happened (as opposed to prospective, which refers to predictions about what might happen). The strength of an epidemiological study is determined by the number of participants and the length of the study. This study was particularly strong, as it involved 15,318 subjects who were followed for 13.9 years.

This study looked specifically at the serum concentration of a-carotene, which means the amount of a-carotene circulating in the blood, and its relationship to the number of deaths in the subjects, which is known as all-cause mortality. The researchers chose a-carotene primarily because very little research exists on it.

The results were impressive. The researchers found that the higher the serum a-carotene levels, the lower the risk of death relative to those with lower values. They even found this to hold true when selecting for both cancer and cardiovascular disease. What’s more, the researchers grouped the a-carotene levels into five cohorts, or categories, and showed that at each higher increment of a-carotene level, there was a greater decrease in risk of death from all causes.

This study shows the importance of consuming foods that contain a-carotene, such as orange, yellow and dark green vegetables. Also, you should be certain that your multivitamin supplements have a mixture of carotenoids that include alpha-carotene, such as Multi-Intense and PHyto Px. In other words, try adding a bit more color to your life!

References

Arch Intern Med. 2011 Mar 28;171(6):507-15. Epub 2010 Nov 22. Serum {alpha}-Carotene Concentrations and Risk of Death Among US Adults: The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Follow-up Study. Li C, Ford ES, Zhao G, Balluz LS, Giles WH, Liu S.  Division of Behavioral Surveillance, Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.