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The intake of carotenes, especially beta carotene, has been shown to be associated with significantly less hip fracture risk in elderly lean men.
Lean men whose body fat mass drops too low is actually a predictor of frailty. Such frail men are more likely to have hip fractures than non-frail people of better body fat composition. However, the researchers found that carotene intake helped reduce the risk of such fractures in these men.
It has long been known that carotene levels in the blood are linked to longevity in both men and women. If you have them in your diet from eating a wide variety of different color vegetables, they slowly accumulate in various body tissues and offer protection against wear and tear. If you don’t have them in your diet they are slowly depleted from body tissues, including bones, exposing your body to an increased rate of potential damage and a consequently shorter lifespan.
Supplements of natural beta carotene are actually easier to absorb than food, since they do not require digestion to separate them from plant fibers. They may be especially important for older people whose digestion is not as good as it was when younger. Be very sure not to supplement with synthetic beta carotene. Your carotene supplement will always tell you its natural source on the label, otherwise it is synthetic and should be avoided.
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Lean men whose body fat mass drops too low is actually a predictor of frailty. Such frail men are more likely to have hip fractures than non-frail people of better body fat composition. However, the researchers found that carotene intake helped reduce the risk of such fractures in these men.
It has long been known that carotene levels in the blood are linked to longevity in both men and women. If you have them in your diet from eating a wide variety of different color vegetables, they slowly accumulate in various body tissues and offer protection against wear and tear. If you don’t have them in your diet they are slowly depleted from body tissues, including bones, exposing your body to an increased rate of potential damage and a consequently shorter lifespan.
Supplements of natural beta carotene are actually easier to absorb than food, since they do not require digestion to separate them from plant fibers. They may be especially important for older people whose digestion is not as good as it was when younger. Be very sure not to supplement with synthetic beta carotene. Your carotene supplement will always tell you its natural source on the label, otherwise it is synthetic and should be avoided.
More...