Carrot Intake and Risk of Developing Cancer: A Prospective Cohort Study

Abstract

A prospectively followed Danish cohort of 55,756 citizens with an observation time upwards of 25 years was investigated for association between eating raw carrots on a regular basis and developing various adenocarcinoma-dominant cancers and leukemia. Mean age at inclusion was 56.2 years (SD 4.4 years), and 52% were females. A dose-dependent reduction in incidence was seen for cancer of the lung (HR 0.76, CI95% 0.66; 0.87) and pancreas (HR 0.79, CI95% 0.61; 1.03), as well as leukemia (HR 0.91, CI95% 0.68; 1.21). Only for lung cancer was the association significant. In the case of pancreatic cancer, a possible type 1 error was present due to a low number of cancers. In cases of breast and prostate cancer, no association and no dose response were demonstrated. The association seen for lung and pancreatic cancer parallels that earlier demonstrated for large bowel cancer and indicates a cancer-protective effect from daily intake of raw carrots not limited to gastrointestinal adenocarcinomas. Processed carrots exhibited no effect. The preventive effect could be due to the polyacetylenic compounds falcarinol and falcarindiol in carrots, whereas carotene may not have an effect. The polyacetylenes are inactivated by heating, supporting our findings that only raw carrot intake has an effect. Indirect evidence for the cancer preventive effect of carrots in humans has reached a level where a prospective human trial is now timely.