Carrots make eyesight awesome - StyleLies
Filed under: Style Lies
Do carrots really help your eyesight?
Well...no but the origin of this myth is very interesting.
To sum it up, during World War II, Britain's Air Force came up with the Airborne Interception Radar which allowed it to pinpoint exactly where Nazi bombers flew. Rather than have the German army find out about this all important technology, the British government spread a rumor about British bombers eating a diet full of carrots to improve their night vision.
Carrots are a great source of Vitamin A, which is known to stimulate growth, resist infection, and instill healthy skin and eye sight. But the beta-carotene which may help reduce the risk of cataract (though it's never been proven) would have to be eaten in very high quantities to work as well as the rumor implies. And OD'ing on Vitamin A can be a disaster and has even resulted in a handful of known deaths. It can also turn the skin yellow or orange in color if it is ingested in high volumes.
So if you're looking to be the first human with super cool night vision or to miraculously bring back your 20/20 vision with carrots, you're probably going to be crap out of luck.
MSN Health
Well...no but the origin of this myth is very interesting.
To sum it up, during World War II, Britain's Air Force came up with the Airborne Interception Radar which allowed it to pinpoint exactly where Nazi bombers flew. Rather than have the German army find out about this all important technology, the British government spread a rumor about British bombers eating a diet full of carrots to improve their night vision.
Carrots are a great source of Vitamin A, which is known to stimulate growth, resist infection, and instill healthy skin and eye sight. But the beta-carotene which may help reduce the risk of cataract (though it's never been proven) would have to be eaten in very high quantities to work as well as the rumor implies. And OD'ing on Vitamin A can be a disaster and has even resulted in a handful of known deaths. It can also turn the skin yellow or orange in color if it is ingested in high volumes.
So if you're looking to be the first human with super cool night vision or to miraculously bring back your 20/20 vision with carrots, you're probably going to be crap out of luck.
MSN Health
