As an antioxidant beta carotene has many benefits that extend well beyond improving eyesight

Beta carotene is part of a larger group of nutrients know as carotenoids. They are  important to the body because it is used to make vitamin A and is an antioxidant that is believed to help prevent cancer.

It is commonly known that beta-carotene is found in carrots, but it is found in even higher doses in apricots. Other fruits and vegetables, especially those with a yellow or orange or dark green coloring contain beta-carotene as well. There are very few adverse side effects for beta-carotene. It does turn the skin a slightly yellow color in high doses but this will not affect your health. The only other side effect is diarrhea, but this will go away with smaller doses. Many people know that high doses of vitamin A can cause birth defects and other adverse side effects, so one would assume that having too much beta-carotene, which is what the body uses to make vitamin A, would cause the body to have too much vitamin A. This however, does not occur because the body will only make as much vitamin A as it needs, so it will not become toxic.

Some benefits as mentioned is that beta-carotene may help prevent cancer and other diseases because it boosts the immune system as well as helps your body produce vitamin A. There have been mixed and contradicting findings on the actual benefits of beta-carotene but most experts agree that if you eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables you will lower your risk for cancer and other diseases.

It has also be found through a couple of studies that the yellow coloring beta-carotene causes may help people with photosensitivity disorders and help prevent sun burns in very fair people. However this study needs to have follow-up tests done.

It is recommended that beta-carotene supplements be taken with at least 3 g of fat because beta-carotene is fat-soluble which means it is absorbed into the body through fat.