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Although fruit and vegetable consumption is associated with lower incidences of chronic disease and premature mortality, supplementation with β-carotene, a major component of the carotenoids found in fruits and vegetables, has shown no benefit. Researchers used a national nutrition and health database to look at the association between α-carotene, another component of the carotenoids, and mortality among 15,318 participants.
During mean follow-up of about 14 years, 3810 deaths occurred. α-carotene level was associated inversely with mortality after adjustments for a wide range of demographic and clinical risk factors. For example, all-cause mortality was 39% lower among subjects who had α-carotene levels ≥9 µg/dL, compared with subjects who …