Carrots are incredibly nourishing. They are great sources of dietary fiber, folate, and several other vitamins and minerals such as vitamin K, B vitamins, potassium, vitamin C, and niacin.

In a study conducted in 2011, researchers have found that carrot juice extract can help kill leukemia cells and inhibit cancer cell progression.

Carrots And Its Role Against Leukemia

Leukemia is a cancer of the blood cells. It can develop quickly or slowly. Some of its symptoms may include excessive sweating, especially at night (called “night sweats”), bone pain and tenderness, fever or chills, frequent infections, bleeding easily and bruising easily, fatigue and weakness that don’t go away with rest, unintentional weight loss, painless, swollen lymph nodes (especially in the neck and armpits), enlargement of the liver or spleen, and red spots on the skin.

In the study, researchers investigated the effect of carrot juice extracts on myeloid and lymphoid leukemia cell lines together with normal hematopoietic stem cells.  Leukemia cell lines and nontumor control cells were treated with carrot juice extracts for up to 72 hours in vitro. At the end of the study period, experts have found that treatment of leukemia cell lines with carrot juice extract induced apoptosis (cell death) and inhibited progression through the cell cycle.

According to the researchers, these findings may be due to the carrot’s beneficial components – such as β-carotene and polyacetylenes – that can be effective in the treatment of leukemia. These antioxidants work by improving the body’s resistance to various oxidative damages.

Some other main bioactive components in carrots are alpha-carotene, lutein, lycopene, and anthocyanins. Along with the two components mentioned above, these plant compounds all work together to help improve our immune function and reduce our risk of many illnesses, including heart disease, various degenerative ailments, and certain types of cancer like lung, colorectal, and prostate cancer.