Are carrots bad for you?

[Kwackerz]

My Daughter has just come up with a good one for debate..

Her biology teacher (specialises in it, no less) has informed my daughter that carrots increase the risk of cancer.

My daughter will now not eat carrots!

Over to my learned friends..

My research so far has yet to prove this fact, bar that some food supplements can reduce lifespan rather than increase it (maintain it)

Ive asked her to obtain some factual evidence to support the claim as I think her teacher is talking complete drivel.

[Samray]

Ask the tosser where she got the cancer .... and whether she scrubs her carrots before utilising em ?



http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4246107.stm

The scientists investigated the compound after a previous published study suggested it could prevent the development of cancer.

[Kwackerz]

I did consider that it wasnt the vegetable as much as what the vegetable was subjected to..

But for a biology teacher to come out with that statement that carrots are bad for you (words to that effect.. but definately carrots and bad and cancer...) has miffed me off slightly.

Cant wait for Parent Teacher evening.

[woody]

Tell her to eat plenty of tomatoes, apparently they are anticarcinogenic

[Aladinsaneuk]

iirc

carotene, found in carrots, if taken in excess is a carcinogenic in its own right

I believe that this was established when it was used as a fake tan base and caused melenoma - but am not sure tbh

and tell the tosser, sorry teacher, that as people can also die from having too much water - is he going to tell all his pupils to not drink it any more?

[D-Rider]

I guess it could be argued that anything that prolongs life also increases the risk of cancer .... given that you are giving it a greater period of opportunity to get you.
Perhaps a "good" cure for cancer is a fatal heart attack ... or anything that gets you first.
(If anyone here has close ones suffering any of these things at the moment, I'm sorry if I sound flippant - I do know something of the real worries that these horrible diseases bring)

We're all going to fall to some disease, some trauma or a general degeneration of some part of our bodies. I guess some of the things we hope is that none of them get us too soon, we don't suffer unduly with whatever leads to us going and that we have a good and fulfilling life up until the point we do succumb.

[lazarus]

carrots are certainly a vegetable (or cattle food to my mind) that you need to peel before using because the chemicals that are needed to prevent root fly gather in the skin.

you get these sort of pro and anti comments in the press etc about almost everything and they do us no good at all. people dont know whether to have salt in their diet or not - whereas the reality is that too much will raise blood pressure whilst none will cause death.

as another example, I eat 3 or 4 apples a day and have always eaten the core and pips. its reported that the pips contain cyanide, which they do, but unless you eat the pips by the handful you will never get enough to harm you. on the other hand 4 apples are as effective as a normal dose of anti statins at reducing chloesterol - allegedly! who knows - I eat them because I like them.

[lazarus]

I guess it could be argued that anything that prolongs life also increases the risk of cancer .... given that you are giving it a greater period of opportunity to get you.
Perhaps a "good" cure for cancer is a fatal heart attack ... or anything that gets you first.
(If anyone here has close ones suffering any of these things at the moment, I'm sorry if I sound flippant - I do know something of the real worries that these horrible diseases bring)

.

just had a friend die of liver cancer - you dont sound flippant to me. you are absolutely right.

[Gio]

Tell her to eat plenty of tomatoes, apparently they are anticarcinogenic

Trouble with tomatoes is that if you have any skin ailments they can exacerbate the problems.

[Kenif]

OK, my other half's a Dietitian so will give you some sound scientific facts.


NOTHING, is bad for you, taken in reasonable amounts (nope, not even broken glass and light aeroplanes - see weird French guy for reference)

Biggest cause of cancer in the UK? Obesity (nope, not smoking or carrots or smoking carrots)

Biggest cause of heart disease? Obesity

Biggest cause of obesity? Overeating - Not too much sugar, not too much salt, not too many chips/cakes/sweets etc - Just a bit too much of everything

So, there you go. Just take it mostly easy on the food and drink (with wee trips to excess once in a while), do a bit of exercise everyday (opening cans of Special Brew does not, apparently, count) and you'll live forever



'Course, riding a bike is bloody dangerous to...

[D-Rider]

Think I'd agree with most of this Kenif but surely there's an argument that the biggest cause of obesity is lack of exercise. I realise that it's to do with a balance between consumption and energy usage (i.e. exercise) but I think we have not increased our eating as much as reduced our general levels of energy expenditure.

Look at the numerous middle aged former sportsmen that have ballooned. I doubt they are consuming much more than they used to (maybe less) but whereas they have stopped training, they have been unable to reduce their food intake in the same way.
I think that the same goes for a lot of us that used to do a lot more casual sport, cycle everywhere etc etc.

I feel that I'd do best for myself by exercising much more but only eating a little less.

Discuss !

[Samray]

Discuss !

Surely what you eat is more important than quantity.
You wouldnt put on as much weight eating a ton of celery and lettuce as a ton of lard.
... and no matter how little exercise you did you wouldnt put on weight if you didnt eat.

[BikerGran]

carrots are certainly a vegetable (or cattle food to my mind) that you need to peel before using because the chemicals that are needed to prevent root fly gather in the skin.

Unless you buy organic carrots where those chemicals are not used. And if you buy them from local or fairly local organic suppliers (I get mine from a 'box scheme' and they're delivered to my door) then they're really fresh as well. The difference in taste is amazing, so much so that I will never eat another supermarket carrot!

[Kenif]

Hi D-R

Both bits are right. Exercise and energy intake need to match (roughly).

That's why ex-athletes go a bit on the tubby side. It's very difficult to adjust your energy intake down from 6-8000 calories a day to 3000 when you stop. Also, the muscle mass which is no longer in extensive use converts to fat (yep, it really is a storeroom for muscle!). This then gives the body a huge energy back-up which means that it, if you don't return to the heavy exercise, will be an additional energy store which the body will keep all the time you keep shoving your daily energy output in through food.

In preparation for the 'my grandad eat a tub of lard for breakfast and was skinny as a rake' argument (sorry if that one was on the keyboard):

True.

But there was little in the way of energy saving devices.
Most people walked everywhere except long distances.
The content of the food had a much higher nutritional value, despite the extra calories (no hydrogenated oils etc)
The natural balance of food was maintained 'cos veggies were cheaper than meat!

I know when we moved away from packet/jar sauces and processed stuff, we both lost about 4 Ibs in a week, despite eating more! Had a higher calorie intake but the key thing was, eating food that the body can process easier.

Ok, lecture over, can I talk about bikes now?

[Falcopops]

Discuss !

Funnily enough Discus throwers seem to be a bit tubby even during their competetive phase.