Do Carrots against cancer?

British and Dutch scientists announced the identification of a compound of the carrot that could contribute to the prevention of cancer.

It has been shown that a natural toxin called falcarinol reduced by a third the risk of developing cancer, according to a publication of Britain cited a study by experts in their experiments with rats in the laboratory.

That toxin protects carrots certain fungal diseases during the storage process.

The specialists studied the behavior of 24 rats, all with tumors precancerosos, divided into three groups and given them several diets for 18 weeks.

But animals that received carrots or dose corresponding falcarinol showed three times less likely to develop tumors that its remaining control group.

The next step will be to determine how much falcarinol is needed to prevent cancer and if certain types of carrot are better suited than others.

Carrots are also sources of vitamin A, important in preventing blindness in the young, although ingested in excessive amounts can be toxic.

That is something that also happens to the toxin falcarinol, which, a lethal dose equivalent to consumption followed by 400 kilograms of this tuber.