Carrots and plums for better looks!

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDJan 9 2011

Researchers at St Andrews and Bristol universities have found that carrots and plums could make one more attractive in just two months. They found that these fruits and vegetables contain pigments called ­carotenoids that color the skin within two months making a person more attractive and healthy.

People are drawn to those whose skins have a yellow hue, the study found. For the study 40 volunteers rated 51 Scottish Caucasian faces for healthiness and attractiveness.

According to researcher Ian Stephen, “Telling people they might have a heart attack in 40 years’ time if they don't eat more healthily is one thing…What we can now tell people is, ‘This is what you could look like in a very short space of time’.”

The carrot gets its characteristic and bright orange colour from β-carotene, which is metabolised into vitamin A in humans when bile salts are present in the intestines. Massive overconsumption of carrots can cause carotenosis, a benign condition in which the skin turns orange. Carrots are also rich in dietary fibre, antioxidants, and minerals.