Carrots curb cancer

Researchers from the University of Newcastle, Australia, and the Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences have identified a chemical compound in carrots--called falcarinol--as responsible for lowering the risk of cancer by as much as one-third.

Epidemiological studies have reported that carrot consumption can lower cancer risk by as much as 40 percent, but the cancer-fighting component wasn't identified until now. Falcarinol, a compound found in carrots, celery, parsnips and other plants, protects against fungal diseases.

The scientists, writing in the February 9, 2005 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, cautioned that the carrots used in the study were raw. It is not yet known whether juiced or cooked carrots would produce the same effect.

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