Introduction:  

Carrot is a root vegetable; scientifically known as Daucus carota. It is of various colours, such as black, white, purple, yellow, and red, but it is mainly orange in colour. The top three producers of carrots are China, Uzbekistan and the USA. They were initially used for potential health benefits and gradually accepted as food. An old saying also mentions carrots as good for the eye. It is widely utilised in different forms such as cooked, dried, raw, or juice. Industrial processing of carrots is done mainly to produce carrot juice. It is also the most popular vegetable juice, only second to tomato. Various biologically active and nutritional substances in carrot juice play a vital role in a healthy diet.^1-3  

Nutritional Value of Carrot Juice: 

Industrially extracted carrot juice contains a variety of nutrients. The unclarified carrot juice is observed to have about 1.1 g of dietary fibre/100 ml.³ 

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Did you know that carrot juice has a higher beta-carotene content when compared with raw carrots? Carotenemia, a disease when there is too much beta-carotene in the blood, may result from consuming an excessive amount of carrot juice and might cause transient yellowing of the skin. In my opinion, drink no more than half a glass of carrot juice each day to get the health advantages without taking excessive amounts of vitamin A or beta-carotene.

Dr. Siddharth Gupta, MD

Properties of Carrot Juice: 

Carrot is a healthy vegetable and serves several benefits to humans. Due to its nutritional value, and its beneficial properties, carrot juice has been reported to exhibit the following:¹ 

• May be a potential antioxidant  
• May have anti-cancer potential  
• May have immunity boosting potential  
• It may have anti-diabetic potential  
• It may potentially be cholesterol lowering and heart protective  
• May have blood pressure lowering potential  
• May have liver protective potential  
• May potentially be kidney protective    
• May have wound healing benefits  
• May have antimicrobial potential    
• May have anti-inflammatory potential.²  

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Carrot juice is rich in Vitamin C levels. The relationship between dietary vitamin C consumption and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was investigated by researchers in 2016. They discovered that individuals with COPD consumed considerably fewer nutrients from carrot juice than individuals without the condition. Carotene, potassium, and vitamins A and C were among these nutrients. But those who had COPD also consumed much less food overall than those who did not. From my knowledge, smokers who took more vitamin C than those who consumed very little had a decreased chance of developing COPD.

Dr. Rajeev Singh, BAMS

Potential Uses of Carrot Juice: 

Carrots are an essential source of provitamin A (precursor of vitamin A). Numerous  benefits of carrot juice are listed below.^2,4  

1. Potential uses of carrot juice for cancer  

Dias, 2012a; Dias, 2012b demonstrated that carrot juice shows antioxidant activity that reduces free radicals in the body. A meta-analysis that was published in 2008 demonstrated that taking high amount of carotenoids may be associated with lowering the risk of lung cancer by 21%. The bio-active compounds in carrot juice may have potential negative effect on the formation of tumours. This may indicate that carrot juice may have potential to  decrease the risks of certain types of cancers.^1,2,4 However, you must consult a doctor before including carrot juice in diet for its benefit as the available research is insufficient and there is a need of further studies to establish the mentioned effects of carrot juice on human health. 

2. Potential uses of carrot juice for vitamin A deficiency  

Consuming carrots juice helps produce vitamin A in the body. Thus, carrot juice intake as a source of vitamin A is highly beneficial as it helps to overcome several health issues due to vitamin A deficiency. Vitamin A deficiency may cause skin dryness and damage to nails and hair. Further, vitamin A deficiency can cause damage to light-sensitive cells of the eyes; this may result in loss of vision and other vision-related problems. Consumption of carrot juice may have beneficial effects oneyesight.^2,4 You must consult a doctor before including any herb in diet for its benefits as they may be able to access your condition and prescribe dosage and form correctly. 

3. Potential uses of carrot juice for the immune system  

Carrots juice contains various nutrients and antioxidants, such as vitamin C, may help boost the immune system. Regular intake of carrot juice may provide several benefits to our body. An in vivo study conducted by Ekam et al., in 2006 stated the immunomodulatory effect of carrot juice on rats. An animal study also stated that carrots possess the ability to bring changes in the immune system by increasing the white blood cells (WBCs) and platelet concentration. These WBCs and platelets are responsible for the immune response. Thus, this may indicate that carrot juice has beneficial effects on the immune system.^1,2 However, these studies are insufficient to validate the same response on humans and therefore, further extensive human studies are required to establish any effect of carrot juice on human immune system. 

4. Potential uses of carrot juice for diabetes  

According to a study, low carotenoid content in the blood may cause an increase in the level of glucose and insulin in the blood. Consuming carrot juice rich in carotenoids may be helpful for a person with diabetes. Further, Chau et al., in 2004 observed that carrot juice may be beneficial in managing the post-meal blood glucose levels. This is because dietary fibres in carrots juice may help to manage the glucose levels in the blood.^2,4 However, further studies are needed to understand the potential and extent to which carrot juice may be beneficial for humans suffering with diabetes. 

5. Potential uses of carrot juice for the heart  

Drinking carrot juice daily may have beneficial effects on the heart against plaque formation due to oxidative damage and accumulation of bad cholesterol.¹ An animal study suggests that carrot juice may be able to protect from a condition. In women, carrot juice may exhibit several benefits that reduce the risk of heart attacks.² You must consult a doctor before including any herb in diet for its benefits for heart as any condition related to heart is  serious and may require proper diagnosis and treatment. Your doctor will be able to access your condition and prescribe dosage and form correctly. 

6. Potential uses of carrot juice for the liver  

Carrot juice is good for the liver due to its nutrients.⁴ Further, the studies on carrot juice may indicate that bioactive compounds in carrots may have other benefits for the liver from damage against the toxic effects of environmental pollution. A study on animals showed that the presence of vitamin A in carrot juice may reduce the oxidative stress on liver tissues and thus it may be beneficial for the liver.² The studies on animals cannot provide necessary evidence and state the extent to which carrot juice may impact human liver. Therefore it is necessary for the researchers to conduct further studies to validate this claim. 

7. Potential uses of carrot juice for the brain  

Carrot juice may have a positive impact on cognitive functions (mental abilities, including learning, thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving). This benefit may be due to the presence of carotenoids and thiamine (vitamin B1)..^2,4 These studies may be insufficient to establish the usage for human brain health. We may need further studies that can give evidence for these benefits on humans. 

8. Other potential uses of carrot juice  

Carrot juice may also have several other potential benefits, such as:  

• May helps to manage weight 
• It may have positive effect on metabolism of carbohydrates and proteins and may help in healthy growth of the body. 
• May be helpful to regulate excessive bleeding by supporting clot formation.^1,2,4 

Though there are studies that show the benefits of carrot juice in various conditions, but these are insufficient and there is a need of further studies to establish the true extent of benefits of herb on human health.   

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If there is a chance that specific foods might be a source of foodborne infections, people with compromised immune systems may need to avoid carrot juice. This includes pregnant ladies or those who are getting cancer therapy, young kids, and senior people. I recommend you should immediately consult your doctor in case of any disturbance noticed.

Dr. Smita barode, BAMS

How to Use Carrot Juice? 

Carrot juice can be consumed as  

• Freshly extracted juice  
• Cloudy carrot juice (concentrated carrot juice produced from mature carrots)⁴ 
• Clarified industrial juice  
• Non-clarified industrial juice³ 

You must consult a qualified doctor before taking any herbal supplements. Do not discontinue or replace an ongoing treatment of modern medicine with an ayurvedic/herbal preparation without consulting a qualified doctor.   

Side Effects of Carrot Juice: 

There are no major reported side effects of carrot juice. However, even natural preparations such as fruits and vegetable juices can show side effects on an individual as everyone’s body reacts differently to certain compounds. It is advisable to consume these herbs after consulting a qualified doctor. In case you feel any discomfort or any other uncomfortable symptoms from drinking carrot juice you must consult your Ayurvedic doctor who prescribed it to you. They will be able to assess the situation and guide you regarding the course of action.  

Precautions to Take With Carrot Juice:  

Carrot juice is generally considered reasonably safe in recommended dosage but based on the glycaemic index (an indicator of the effect of food on blood sugar) of carrots; it is recommended to eat carrots in moderation due to the high sugar content present in them.² Moreover, you must follow general precautions and instructions given by your doctor while consuming carrot juice regularly and you should never self medicate even with natural fruits, vegetables and herbs. 

Interactions With Other Drugs: 

Any major adverse reaction of carrot juice with any other drug has not been reported. However, the possibility of reaction with other medications cannot be denied entirely. So, you need to discuss your daily carrot juice intake and details of different medicines prescribed to you for use with your Ayurvedic physician. They will tailor their prescription to suit your health needs.      

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Frequently Asked Questions: 

References: 

1. Singh MN, Srivastava R, Yadav I. Study of different varietis of carrot and its benefits for human health: a review. J Pharmacogn Phytochem. 2021;10:1293-9. Available from: https://www.phytojournal.com/archives/2021/vol10issue1/PartR/10-1-180-561.pdf  

2. Turturică M, Bahrim GE. Carrot–Application in food industry and health benefits–review. Innovative Romanian Food Biotechnology. 2021 Nov 16(21):1-21. Available from: https://www.gup.ugal.ro/ugaljournals/index.php/IFRB/article/view/4932/4355  

3. Khomich LM, Perova IB, Eller KI. Carrot juice nutritional profile. Voprosy Pitaniia. 2020 Jan 24;89(1):86-95. Available from: https://europepmc.org/article/med/32083829  

4. Shakeel A, Aslam HK, Shoaib M, Sikandar HA, Ramzan R. Effect of various hydrocolloids on cloud stability and nutrition of carrot juice. J. Glob. Innov. Agric. Soc. Sci. 2013;1(22-27). Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Muhammad-Shoaib-73/publication/268278658_EFFECT_OF_VARIOUS_HYDROCOLLOIDS_ON_CLOUD_STABILITY_AND_NUTRITION_OF_CARROT_JUICE/links/5f0c9e6ea6fdcca32ae6996b/EFFECT-OF-VARIOUS-HYDROCOLLOIDS-ON-CLOUD-STABILITY-AND-NUTRITION-OF-CARROT-JUICE.pdf   

Disclaimer: The information included at this site is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional. Because of unique individual needs, the reader should consult their physician to determine the appropriateness of the information for the reader’s situation