Carrots: Nutritional and health benefits

Fruits and vegetables are intrinsic to maintaining a healthy diet. They are a gold mineof essential vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and antioxidants that possess the potential toprevent various chronic ailments. Scientific evidence has substantiated that phytonutrientenrichednatural products mitigate the undesirable side effects of synthetic drugs andmaintain optimum health. Daucus carota, commonly known as the carrot, is a coloredvegetable enriched with carotenoids such β-ciiarotene, bioactive polyacetylenes, folate,bioflavonoids, and vitamins, all of which possess a plethora of nutritional benefits.Experimental evidence has reported that carrots exert antioxidative and cytoprotectiveeffects. The cardioprotective, immunomodulatory, antidiabetic, and antifungal effects arealso noteworthy. Other health benefits of this vegetable include hepatoprotection,cognitive development, antinociceptive, and inotrophic effects. The potential curativeproperties of various carrot phytonutrients will be summarized in this chapter.