Some claims eating carrots can improve your eyesight. But do you know this statement is a myth that began from the propaganda campaign during World War II?
The backstory of this ongoing myth originates from the British minister. A pilot named Cunninghams successfully fired a shot at the enemy because he ate a lot of carrots!
Picture: Smithsonian Magazine
Interestingly, this myth lingers in our minds since childhood. Our mothers often threatened us to eat carrots to enhance our eyesight. Funnily, our naive selves accepted this statement without much thought other than wanting to maintain a good vision (and be an obedient child).
However, this myth takes to another level when people start consuming carrots in abnormal amounts. They believe that continuous consumption of this vegetable can drastically improve their vision.
MedTweetMY Official shares a thread on Twitter that refutes this claim by stating that carrots have a high vitamin A content. Thus, this is where carrots get their vibrant orange color. But, they affirm that mass-carrot eating does not improve your vision or fix your eyesight problems. Alarmingly, consuming more-than-needed carrots in your diet will cause your skin to have orange-yellow-like patches known as Carotenemia.
Picture: Health Jade
According to the Moran Eye Centre of the Health University of Utah, carrots are indeed good for your eyesight. These orange vegetables contain beta-carotene, the hub of nutritional benefits for the eye.
What is the significance of this myth?
Two studies by Paul Bernstein, MD, PhD, Age-Related Eye Disease Studies (AREDS 1 and AREDS 2) affirm that carrots are a good antioxidant for eye health. It includes:
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Beta-carotene
- Zinc
- Lutein
- Zeaxanthin
What are the ways to improve your eyesight?
Our eyes rely on tiny arteries that require sufficient oxygen levels and nutrients. Aside from eating carrots, a balanced and healthy food intake is necessary to enhance your vision.
Some of the recommended sources that can improve your eyesight are:
- Fish (Salmon, tuna, sardines)
- Sweet potato and other vegetables
- Fruits
- Vitamin and mineral-rich foods like eggs, beans, nuts, lean red meats and poultry
To improve your vision, you do not have to eat a lot of carrots. You only have to eat a rainbow for your eye health. By eating healthily, you might see better (and probably can shoot an enemy from afar, too, like Cunninghams).
Sources: Twitter MedTweetMY Official, Health University of Utah, Health Jade
