Changing color

Question
Dear Geoff,

I am a senior at Area Area High School in Pittsburgh, Pennyvania.  For our english project we are supposed to think of a "burning" question and to find the answer.  The answers will than be put in a book and put in our libary for any future student to see.  My question is if you ate a solid diet of carrots and only carrots it is said that you will turn orange. I have never heard how long it would take for one to turn orange.  So my question is: How long would it take for a person eating with a diet of only carrots to turn orange?

Thank you for your time and if I could at least have some form or response by thusday (Be it I need more time. Just something to turn in) I would be very grateful.

Andrew Chevraux

Answer
I don't know enough to be of much help as I'm a raw, palaeolithic dieter, and was a Raw Vegan for only a year c. 5 years ago.

Here's some relevant info taken form www.snopes.com:-

"There is at least a bit of something to the carrots/vision presumption: Beta-carotene, which is found in the vegetable, may help reduce the risk of cataract and macular degeneration. However, it needs be pointed out that studies which have posited this link used doses of Vitamin A or beta-carotene that were higher than what is found in the standard diet. It would be quite difficult to eat the requisite number of carrots to match this level of intake. Also, among those who suffer a Vitamin A deficiency, nyctanopia (also known as nyctalopia or night blindness; the inability to see well in poor light) can be at least somewhat helped by adding carrots to the sufferer's diet.

Megadosing with carrots, however, is a bad idea. Large doses of Vitamin A can be toxic, and though such an overdose rarely kills, it has on at least a few occasions. Also, too much beta-carotene will result in carotenemia, a condition that turns skin yellow or orange. Normal coloration returns once the increased intake of beta-carotene is reduced."

Also :-

http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:tqp6Hhb6Y-UJ:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carotene+...

Also, carotenemia might  also  be linked (spuriously) to hypothyroidism  and lipoproteinemia, apparently. You should do some more research on the term "carotenemia" online.

Also a little bit of info:- flamingoes are not born pink, they become pink due to eating carotene-rich crayfish and algae.

Hope This Helps
Geoff  

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