DSM welcomes findings on brain-health benefits of Beta-Carotene

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The results of two studies initiated in the 1980s indicate that ß-carotene provides long-term benefits to memory and may significantly help to preserve mental fitness when taken as a supplement over many years. The Physicians Health Study I, which commenced in 1982 and involved over 22,000 volunteers, gave participants aspirin, ß-carotene or a placebo for a period of several years. Following this study, a second one, The Physicians Health Study II, was initiated with 6,000 participants, 4,100 of whom had taken part in the first study. The aim of this sub-study was to understand the effect of ß-carotene on a different range of cognitive performance indicators. Participants who had taken part in the first study scored significantly better in two out of three cognition tests than did the newly recruited volunteers and the placebo group. Manfred Eggersdorfer, Senior Vice President Research & Development, DSM Nutritional Products, explains the potential of these findings: “Even small improvements in cognitive performance, especially in the area of verbal memory, reduce the risk of the occurrence of dementia. These studies suggest that an adequate intake of ß-carotene over a long period of time can measurably improve brain health and memory. The implication is that ß-carotene could be proactively applied in the prevention and treatment of dementia illnesses.” The potential health benefits of ß-carotene may in fact be much more wide-ranging than was previously acknowledged. While the beneficial effects of ß-carotene as provitamin A on maintaining vision and skin photoprotection have long been known, a recent study suggests that ß-carotene can additionally help to prevent sunburn. “Clearly the potential of the naturally occurring antioxidant ß-carotene has not yet been fully explored,” comments Krijn Rietveld, Senior Vice President of DSM Nutritional Products’ Nutrition Innovation Group. “We will intensify our efforts to understand the full range of ß-carotene’s benefits and to make these available to the nutritional sector.” About Carotenoids ß-carotene is a carotenoid. Carotenoids are the pigments that give color to egg yolks, tomatoes, fungi, all green leaves, fruits, and flowers. They also occur in crustaceans, certain fish species, feathers and insects. They cannot be made in the body and must be obtained in the diet. DSM was the first company to produce commercial quantities of carotenoids starting with the production of ß-carotene in 1954. Today DSM Nutritional Products produces carotenoids for use in cosmetics, animal and human nutrition and health. Most of these are nature-identical, which means that their chemical structures and properties cannot be distinguished from the carotenoids found in plants or animals.