There are people eating carrots like rabbits because they think that they will get morenos. There is only a small problem

Summer arrives and with it, the trick of tricks to get that golden tone that leaves the mark of a good vacation. Between sunscreens, self -lane and calculated sun exposure, there is a advice that resurfaces every year as if it were a novelty, although it has been circling in beach conversations decades, Fashion magazines and now, Viral Videos of Tiktok: “Eat carrots and you will get brunette.” But is there anything true in all this?

A harmless snack? Eating carrots on the beach is not something so crazy, since they are fresh and nutritious. However, the old belief that, if you feed like a rabbit, you will end with golden skin as if you had been in Menorca, every summer returns. The point is that the color differs much from what one can imagine.

A rather orange tan. What is really happening is a phenomenon known as Carotenodermia. “Yes, carrots can change the color of the skin,” has affirmed for glamor Dermatologist Dr. Christian Merkel. But, he has warned: “The tone tends more to orange than to the classic brown of the solar tan.”

This effect is due to beta-carotene, a pigment present in carrots, pumpkins, mangoes and other warm fruits and vegetables. When consumed in large quantities, this accumulates in the skin, especially in areas such as palms of the hands, soles of the feet, elbows or nose, causing a change of color in the skin.

A false brown. And not even. Dermatologist Silvija Gottesman, Interviewed by MedPage Todayhe clarified: “It is not a true tan, since unlike the tone generated by melanin after sun exposure, what is achieved with carrot is a superficial coloration, without activation of melanocytes.” So, more than a golden tan, it is a temporary orange dye.

There is a stop. Like almost everything in nutrition, the dose matters. Sarah Carolides, nutritionist of the Lanserhof Clinic, He explained for Women’s Health Mag That excessive consumption of beta -carotene can dye the tpiel, even without realizing it. He estimates that it is enough with about 12 raw medium carrots per day, or less than 300ml of daily juice for approximately one month, to begin to notice visible changes in skin color.

In a documented clinical case by the University Clinical Hospital of Zaragoza, a One year girl who developed a notable yellowish coloration after consuming carrot puree daily. The pigmentation disappeared after removing the food from the diet for two months.

Can you entail a danger? In general, no. Carotenodermia due to food is not harmful and is usually reversed when modifying the diet. However, attention must be paid because it can be confused with diseases such as jaundice. In addition, in people with metabolic disorders or diseases such as hypothyroidism, diabetes or anorexia nervosa, this type of pigmentation could indicate more serious imbalances. As has pointed out The doctor of Lucas Laguna for Consalud, the accumulation of carotenes is not only because of the diet, but for alterations in his metabolism and elimination.

The end point. Eating carrots have benefits. They are healthy, antioxidants, rich in vitamin A and can give a slight warm tone to the skin. But no, you’re not going to tan eating as Bunny Bugs. The effect is more orange than gold, more visible in the hands than in the face, and more anecdotal than aesthetic.

Image | Freepik and Pxhere

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