β-Carotene

links: reference: 10-25-2021

Beta Carotene #

• TetraTerpene.
• B12, fat (pancreatic lipase) and Thyroid can convert beta carotene into retinol.
  • Travis: A reduced expression of β-carotene 15, 15’-monooxygenase resulting from hypothyroidism is also how all scientists— besides Ray Peat—appear to explain the situation. I have seen no published articles claiming the inverted causality or demonstrated convincing evidence of such.
• https://raypeatforum.com/community/threads/dried-mango-for-vitamin-a.20797/post-289619
  • With high consumption of β-carotene or retinol, the carotene cleavage enzyme appears to be downregulated.
  • You might expect (Carotene Oxygenase) to be classified as such because it turns a double bond into two aldehydes (retinals), ostensibly by adding O₂ to the double bond—almost like a controlled lipid peroxidation event. As another O₂-shepherding enzyme (protein), you might also expect it to contain Heme, like cyclooxygenase and hemoglobin.
    • Feedback Regulation of β,β-Carotene 15,15′-Monooxygenase by Retinoic Acid in Rats and Chickens
      • We found dose-dependent decreases in intestinal β,β-carotene monooxygenase activity after oral administration to rats of retinyl acetate (up to −79%), β-carotene (up to −79%), apo-8′-carotenal (up to −56%), all-transretinoic acid (up to −88%), and 9-cisretinoic acid (up to −67%).
      • Apo-12′carotenal and the Retinoic Acid receptor (RAR) α antagonist Ro 41-5253 significantly increased the intestinal enzyme activity by 55 and 94%,
      • When β-carotene was administered to rats pretreated with the two cytochrome P450 inducers, pentobarbital and Naphthoflavone, the intestinal βCMOOX activity increased by 39%.
• Amazoniac: Carotene Absorption, Dietary Fat, And Meal Interactions
  • Only a few grams of fat is necessary for uptake.
  • Cooking/supplements > raw food for absorption
  • carotenes in orange fruit are more bioavailable than those in green leafy vegetables and carrots because b-carotene molecules in fruit are present in lipid droplets in chromoplasts and can be readily released during digestion
    • I found this though: Carotenoid bioavailability is higher from salads ingested with full-fat than with fat-reduced salad dressings as measured with electrochemical detection
      • Increased proportionally with fat-free, reduced fat, and full-fat (0, 6, 28g canola oil (which = that much g in fat)). α-, β-carotene, and lycopene alike.
• Carotenoderma–a review of the current literature.
  • Results from carotene deposition mainly in the stratum corneum.
  • Associated with a high blood β-carotene value
  • They make the case that its associations with diseases like glomerulonephritis that are associated with high β-carotene levels in the blood is due to impaired conversion.
    • Hypopituitarism and male castrates are conditions that havealso been reported to be associated with carotenemia
  • ~1/3 ingested β-carotene is absorbed.
  • Pectin interrupts micelle formation and hence interferes with β-carotene absorption. Lutein and canthax-antin inhibit the conversion of β-carotene to retinal
  • Skin pigmentation in Lycopenemia has a deepertinge than that in carotenemia and occurs on the palms andsoles but also on the palate.
  • The yellow pigmentation of β-carotene appears when its concentrations in the serum exceed 250 μg /dL.
• The vitamin A spectrum: from deficiency to toxicity from https://raypeatforum.com/community/threads/grant-genereuxs-theory-of-vitamin-a-toxicity.24722/post-359369
  • Carotene toxicity was described by Leo et al (30) in the livers of alcohol-fed animals, which showed swollen mitochondria after b-carotene feeding… when the substrate Linoleic Acid was added to the system, the cleavage metabolites of b-carotene increased dramatically.
• Common SNP rs6564851 in the BCO1 Gene Affects the Circulating Levels of β-Carotene and the Daily Intake of Carotenoids in Healthy Japanese Women
  • GG =higher. I’m TT - no carotene for me.
• β-Carotene Increases Muscle Mass and Hypertrophy in the Soleus Muscle in Mice
  • I think this is like 336kIU soo…
  • Dietary β-carotene increased the mRNA level of insulin-like growth factor 1 (Igf-1) as its splicing variant Igf-1ea, but had no influence on the liver Igf-1 mRNA level or serum IGF-1 level.
    • Muscle IGF-1, rather than circulating IGF-1, seems to function locally to sustain and increase muscle size in an autocrine and paracrine manner.
  • Reduced levels of ubiquitin conjugates
• Host-related factors explaining interindividual variability of carotenoid bioavailability and tissue concentrationsin humans
  • SNPs out the ass. Actually a cool resource on metabolism.
  • 
• Bioavailability of beta-carotene (betaC) from purple carrots is the same as typical orange carrots while high-betaC carrots increase betaC stores in Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus)

UV #

• Beta-carotene suppresses UVA-induced HO-1 gene expression in cultured FEK4 (2003)
• Enhancement of the UVA induction of haem oxygenase-1 expression by beta-carotene in human skin fibroblasts (1999)
  • The induction of Heme Oxygenase was suppressed by concomitant addition of Vitamin E, and moderately so with Vitamin C.
• The effect of beta-carotene on the expression of interleukin-6 and heme oxygenase-1 in UV-irradiated human skin fibroblasts in vitro
  • In UVB-irradiated cells, beta-carotene did not modulate levels of IL-6 and HO-1.
• Photoprotective potential of lycopene, beta-carotene, vitamin E, vitamin C and carnosic acid in UVA-irradiated human skin fibroblasts (2002)
  • UVA irradiation in human skin fibroblasts: 10-15fold rise in MMP-1.
    • Suppressed in the presence of E, C, carnosic acid, but not beta-carotene or lycopene.
  • Beta-carotene or lycopene: 1.5-fold rise in UVA-induced HO-1 mRNA.

Supplementation #

• 1kg of sweet potatoes = 115,000 IU.
• JC Denton does 25,000 IU EOD. That’s just 1 large sweet potato (and I would want it large, so that it cooks slower so the other ones can keep up)
• Loading dose of 100,000 for 2 weeks, then maintenaince at 25k-50k daily?

• A lot of them seem to be the exact same thing with soybean oil, gelatin, yellow beeswax
• Surprisingly difficult to find a non-pozzed one. Basically nothing on iHerb. This one is just carotene and capsule?: https://vitaminlife.com/products/beta-carotene-10-000-iu
• https://akiorganic.com/products/beta-carotene-10-powder 1/2 scoop = 30kIU. It’s pure, but it’s from dunaliella salina microalgae
• https://herbadiet.in/products/beta-carotene-extract-capsules?variant=40521469657244 and they also sell powder. No fillers in the vegetarian caps either.
  • Thank you WolframAlpha: 150mg = 83,000 IU… of vitamin A = 166,000 IU. How in the hell are they selling this in one capsule? Are they trying to kill us?
    • I need to email them and see if maybe I’m off by a factor of 10. Because 25,000 IU of vitamin A and 25,000 of beta-carotene is different yknow?
  • The powder… would it stain my teeth, the scooping appartus, anything I spill it on, etc.? I can only assume I would have to mix it with juice.
  • I wonder if this isn’t bunk (or it at least proves it’s just 25kIU of carotene) considering it didn’t really seem to change my skin