Natural Beta-Carotene 25,000 IU | 180 Softgels | NOW Foods

Natural Beta-Carotene from NOW Foods

Think of the orange color of a carrot or a sweet potato. That color comes from beta-carotene, a plant pigment that your body can convert into vitamin A. NOW Foods provides it in softgels with extra virgin olive oil, so your body can make use of it. One softgel per day with a meal, 180 pieces per bottle. That is a half-year supply.

What beta-carotene exactly is

Beta-carotene belongs to the carotenoids, a family of yellow, orange, and red pigments that plants, algae, and fungi produce. Plants use them to absorb sunlight and protect themselves. For you, beta-carotene is mainly interesting as provitamin A (a precursor that your body converts into vitamin A itself). In your intestinal wall, an enzyme cuts the molecule in half, and from those halves retinol is formed, the active form of vitamin A. What many people do not know: your body regulates that conversion itself. If you have enough vitamin A, it converts less beta-carotene. The rest it stores in fatty tissue or excretes. By the way, with high intake your skin can get a light orange tint. That is harmless and disappears on its own when you take less.

Why a softgel with olive oil

Beta-carotene dissolves in fat, not in water. Without fat around, your intestine absorbs very little of it. That is why it is dissolved in extra virgin olive oil in these softgels, and NOW Foods advises to take the softgel with a meal. The beta-carotene itself comes from Blakeslea trispora, a fungus that naturally produces large amounts of this pigment. The difference with synthetic beta-carotene lies in the origin: this is a fermentation product, not a chemically recreated molecule. Mixed tocopherols (natural forms of vitamin E) protect the contents against oxidation. Good to know: the softgel is made of beef gelatin and is therefore not vegetarian.

What vitamin A does for your body

Because beta-carotene is converted into vitamin A, the EU health claims for vitamin A apply. Vitamin A contributes to the maintenance of normal vision. Vitamin A contributes to the normal functioning of the immune system. In addition, vitamin A contributes to the maintenance of normal skin and to the maintenance of normal mucous membranes. Vitamin A contributes to a normal iron metabolism, and vitamin A plays a role in the cell specialization process. Many people wonder whether it is better to take beta-carotene or ready-made vitamin A. In short: beta-carotene gives your body control over the conversion, while retinol is directly active.

When it is better to consult first

A softgel contains a substantial amount: on the label it says 7500mcg vitamin A per softgel, well above the reference intake. Therefore, do not take more than 1 softgel per day and do not combine it without consultation with other products that contain vitamin A or beta-carotene, such as a multivitamin. If you smoke, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, consult your doctor first. This also applies if you use medications.

You take one softgel per day, with a meal.