Cook Carrots Whole to Retain Anticancer Compound Falcarinol

[Hopeful]

As reported by BBC News. 2009 Jun 16

Cooking carrots whole, rather than cutting them up first, retains more of the cancer-fighting compound falcarinol, scientists have found. Researchers at Newcastle University in Great Britain found that whole-cooked carrots had 25% more falcarinol than carrots that were diced before cooking. In animal studies, rats fed a diet including falcarinol were one-third less likely than control animals to develop tumors. During cooking, carrots lose water and also water-soluble substances, such as vitamin C and sugar, which are leached out. Falcarinol is also lost in this process. Cutting up carrots before cooking increases the surface area and thus the loss of nutrients. Keeping the carrots whole reduces nutrient loss and also retains their flavor. In a taste test conducted as part of the study, nearly all of the participants preferred the sweeter taste of the carrots that were cooked whole. The research results were presented at NutrEvent, a conference on nutrition and health, held in Lille, France, on June 17 and 18.


Hopeful