Carrots & Skin Color

Carrots are a healthy food when eaten in moderation. However, eating too many carrots may your skin to develop an orange hue. This is called carotenodermia. It occurs due to the beta carotene in carrots, which is an orange pigment. Talk to your doctor or nutritionist about the benefits and risks of including carrots in your diet.

Beta Carotene

Beta carotene is an antioxidant that helps your body fight possible development of cancer and heart disorders. One cup of cooked carrots contains 13 mg of beta carotene, 1 cup of canned carrot juice has 22 mg of beta carotene and one medium raw carrot has 5.1 mg beta carotene. Carrots have the most beta carotene of all vegetables and fruits. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends eating 1/4 cup of orange vegetables a day to optimize health. Eat a variety of vegetables, not just carrots, to get a range of nutrients.

Temporary Skin Color Change

If your skin turns orange from eating too many carrots, the change will not be permanent, notes the Linus Pauling Institute. The orange color will disappear as you cut back on the amount of carrots you eat. If you notice your skin tone taking on a more orange hue, take a break from eating carrots temporarily.

Cause of Orange Skin

When your skin turns orange, it is because the orange beta carotene in carrots entered your bloodstream after you ate too many carrots. As it travels through your body it is deposited in your skin, notes ScienceLine of the University of California Santa Barbara. This occurs in infants when they start to first eat carrots. It also happens in children and adults who eat an excessive amount of carrots.

A Benign Condition

Carotenodermia is a benign condition. You will not experience any long-term health problems from the orange skin discoloration. Aside from changes to skin color, an excess of beta carotene from carrots will not cause any other serious health problems. It is not linked to jaundice, notes the University of California San Diego. Treatment is not needed to resolve the problem of carotenodermia. Just decrease the amount of carrots and other orange foods in your diet to regain your normal skin color.