Carrots May Cure Cancer

Haydn Fenton writes "A group of researchers from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne in England have discovered a link between the naturally formed pesticide found in carrots, falcarinol, and a substantial reduction in cancerous tumor formation in rats. The researchers hope that the discovery will lead to new anti-cancer drugs and new methods of production to maximize falcarinol production in crops. Dr Kirsten Brandt one of the researchers told the press "We already know that carrots are good for us and can reduce the risk of cancer but until now we have not known which element of the vegetable has these special properties."

Comments

esp. lung cancer. Maybe that's why they taste good

[jago25_98]

They're supposed to be particularly good for lung cancer.

My favorite vegetable has always been carrots.

I have a gene increasing my chances of lung cancer.

So my body seems to know what it needs.

Re:Actual research abstract/paper

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, eating carrots may not be the best thing.

Carrots, though high in nutrients, are also high in Vitamin A. Excess Vitamin A has been shown to increase the size of cancerous tumors, so consuming more carrots may lead to uninhibited growth of cancerous cells.

Obviously it is difficult to say what happened with the lady from the Art Bell show, but scientifically, she ought to be dead. Good for her that it worked out.

However, if we could isolate the good carrot chemicals without also introducing the unneeded nutrients, this might just be a really good thing.

Re:Making good carrots

[famebait]

Another good one which differs more from the steamed ones more than you'd think:

Heat butter or olive oil or a mixture in a thick-bottomed pan, and chop carrots into wheels (or whatever size pieces you want), adding them into the fat as you go along.
Let them fry a little in the fat whole you chop some onion coarsely, and add that too. Let fry a little more. Then add some green peas.

The frying is just to cut cooking time, btw; you can dump it all in at once, but it will need to cook lonmger.

Add only a little water (ebough to keep the bottom moist and from burning for a while, but you should nowhere near enough to see it initially). Season with salt, pepper, and optional herbs of choice.

Cover and cook gently for at least 20 minutes. Sounds dead boring, but is a really nice side-dish.

Cooked carrots are disgusting

[barakn]

... 'cause they're way too sweet. The best way to make a palatable carrot for my particular taste buds is to peel them and eat them raw. The peel contains a bitter substance. Of course this may be an issue related to nontasters, tasters, and supertasters, which makes recommending a particular vegetable cooking style a crapshoot. You might think I'm lucky to be a supertaster, but my cancer risk is apparently higher.

I at least agree with the "don't boil them" statement.