Carotenoids are the pigments responsible for the bright colors of fruits and vegetables.

But they do a lot more than give foods like red peppers and orange carrots their bright colors…

According to scholars, aging is defined as the progressive impairment of physiological integrity over time. The biggest contributors to that destruction are reactive oxygen species (ROS) — the catalysts at the core of the “Theory of Free Radical Aging.”

Lucky for us, carotenoids are powerful antioxidants with a serious capacity to scavenge free radicals and protect the body’s cells and tissues. And that means that they provide an amazing array of health benefits.

Hopefully, you’re already working to get plenty of carotenoids into your diet to protect your eyesight and keep your brain sharp as you age.

If not, then here’s yet another great reason to start eating carotenoid-rich foods now…

Anti-aging at the cellular level

Getting more carotenoids is a powerful way to help your body age more slowly.

The anti-aging power of carotenoids comes from their ability to help nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf2) migrate into the nuclei of cells.

Once that happens, detoxifying antioxidants and enzymes can be “written” into those cells.

Another way carotenoids slow aging has to do with telomeres.

You can think of telomeres like the tips on the ends of your shoelaces. As a cell divides, its telomeres shorten until it dies. This is the natural course of things, but free radicals and inflammation can accelerate this process and make your cells age faster.

Carotenoids can offer protection against the shortening of telomeres. For example, research has shown that beta-carotene (think carrots!) is associated with longer telomere length.

How carotenoids promote youthful skin

Your skin is an organ, just like your heart or liver. In fact, it’s the largest and most exposed organ in your body.

As we age, our skin becomes less able to defend itself against changes that come from poor nutrition, hormonal factors, and exposure to pollutants. It also becomes less able to repair itself if damaged by UV radiation.

Your skin is also the barrier between the outside world and your internal organs, so it’s important to maintain its ability to keep bacteria and other threats from entering your body.

That’s where carotenoids help.

There are seven major carotenoids:

• beta-carotene
• alpha-carotene
• beta-cryptoxanthin
• lutein
• zeaxanthin
• astaxanthin
• lycopene

Each provides its own benefits to skin health:

• lycopene can reduce skin pigmentation and increase skin thickness and density
• astaxanthin inhibits oxidative damage and acts as an anti-photoaging agent
• astaxanthin also adds to skin moisture and reduces age spots and wrinkles
• lutein has been shown to increase antioxidant levels and skin moisture and make skin more elastic
• zeaxanthin in the diet and applied topically has been shown to improve hydration and treat wrinkles

How to get more carotenoids in your diet

Just head for the produce section and fill your cart with brightly colored fruits and vegetables.

The top ten carotenoid-rich foods are:

• carrots
• tomato
• pumpkin
• kale
• vegetable juice
• collards
• spinach
• sweet potatoes
• turnip greens
• apricots

Lycopene is a red pigment that’s especially abundant in tomatoes.

Red bell pepper is an excellent choice as well. One pepper has 253 percent of your daily vitamin C requirements. Vitamin C plays a central role in making collagen, the main structural protein found in skin.

There’s no better time now to load up on these fruits and veggies for healthier aging, inside and out.

Sources:

A Narrative Review: The Effect and Importance of Carotenoids on Aging and Aging-Related Diseases — International Journal of Molecular Sciences