Beta-carotene is one of a group of red, orange, and yellow pigments called carotenoids. Beta-carotene and other carotenoids provide approximately 50% of the vitamin A needed in the American diet. Beta-carotene can be found in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. It can also be made in a laboratory.

Beta-carotene is used to decrease asthma symptoms caused by exercise; to prevent certain cancers, heart disease, cataracts, and age related macular degeneration (AMD); and to treat AIDS, alcoholism, Alzheimer's disease, depression, epilepsy, headache, heartburn, high blood pressure, infertility, Parkinson's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, schizophrenia, and skin disorders including psoriasis and vitiligo.

Beta-carotene is also in used in malnourished (underfed) women to reduce the chance of death and night blindness during pregnancy, as well as diarrhea and fever after giving birth.

Some people who sunburn easily, including those with an inherited disease called erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP), use beta-carotene to reduce the risk of sunburn.

There are many authorities – including the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, the World Cancer Research Institute in association with the American Institute for Cancer Research, and the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer – that recommend getting beta-carotene and other antioxidants from food instead of supplements, at least until research finds out whether supplements offer the same benefits. Eating 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily provides 6-8 mg of beta-carotene.

Functions:

When ingested into the body, beta carotene is converted to vitamin A (retinol) in the small intestines of the mammals by beta-carotene 15 and 15 monooxygenase, an enzyme. Excess retinol is stored in the liver and synthesized into active vitamin A in times of need.

It is one of the most common forms of carotene, is fat soluble but not water soluble. To ensure its proper absorption, 3 to 5 grams of fat should be consumed. Carotenoids suspended in oil are more absorbable than those in water and food. According to the National Institutes of Health, the recommended intake of beta-carotene is 3000 international units (IU) and 2310 IU for adult males and females respectively.

Similarly, it recommends a dosage of 1650 IU for infants of 7-12 months of age, 1000 IU for children aged 1-3 years, 1320 IU for children aged 4-8 years and 2000 IU for children aged 9-13 years. Instead of consuming isolated beta-carotene supplements, it is often recommended to consume 15000 IU of mixed carotenoids per day for adults and children over the age of 13 years.

Carotenoid facilitates communication between cells by improving the expression of a gene that codes for connexin proteins. These proteins form pores or gap functions among cell membranes, thus allowing the cells to communicate through the exchange of small molecules.

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