Carrots and orange colored plants are very good for the eyes, helping to keep the eyes shining and have good eyesight. Helps to see better in low light conditions. But unfortunately that’s only partially true, so you don’t have to eat too many carrots to keep your eyes glowing.
It’s true that carrots are high in beta-carotene and lutein, antioxidants that fight free radicals that can damage the eyes and the whole body.
Beta-carotene after being absorbed will be converted into vitamin A. Vitamin A is necessary for the synthesis of Rhodopsin, a light-sensitive protein in the rod cells of the retina of the eye. Rod cells are less numerous than cone cells (cone cells, which help perceive color), but they are important because they help perceive light and dark, helping us see in low light conditions. A deficiency of vitamin A can cause night blindness, where people with this condition will see very badly when it is dark.
Lutein helps prevent age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which, if present, can lead to vision loss in older people.
Besides helping healthy eyes, vitamin A is also good for the skin, helps wounds heal faster, reduces the risk of some infections … But like vitamin C, a deficiency will lead to a decrease in immunity, but more does not mean strengthening immunity. The body only needs a small amount, just enough vitamin A. Even eating a lot of carrots or taking vitamin A supplements will not help improve vision. Because vitamin A is fat soluble, if used in excess, it can also build up in fat-containing tissues and cause toxicity to the body.
So why do people often tell themselves that eating carrots helps have better night vision? This is in fact just a propaganda measure by the British government during WWII. German planes often attacked Britain at night, British pilots often had a great advantage, shooting down many German planes because they had radar, a military secret at the time.
Especially at this time, England had a radar mounted on fighter planes (airborne interception radar on board, IA). To keep radar a secret, they propagated that British pilots ate more carrots to help them see better in night air battles.
John Cunningham, a British pilot nicknamed “Cat’s Eyes”, shot down 20 German planes, 19 of them in night air battles. The military and government still propagate that by eating lots of carrots, John has the ability to see through the night to hide the secret of the radar.
