It may not be as exotic as acai berry or as marketable as dark chocolate and red wine, but we have another entrant into the "superfood" sweepstakes: alpha-carotene. OK, so it's technically a chemical compound, but still ...
Take our quiz about this potent cousin of the better-known beta-carotene.
1. Researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studied medical data on 15,000 subjects from a nutrition survey and found that those with the highest levels of alpha-carotene in their blood were how much less likely to die from all causes over 14 years?
a) 13 percent
b) 22 percent
c) 39 percent
2. Alpha-carotene is part of the carotenoid compound family distinguished by the red, orange and yellow pigments in vegetables and fruit. What does the body do when it ingests alpha-carotene?
a) Converts it into vitamin B12
b) Converts it into vitamin A
c) Converts it to glucose in the bloodstream
NEXT PAGE: Why does alpha-carotene have nutritional bragging rights over beta-carotene?
3. Why does alpha-carotene have nutritional bragging rights over beta-carotene?
a) Alpha is more effective at inhibiting certain cancer cells
b) Alpha is found in tastier foods than beta
c) Alpha has a more pleasant taste than the bitter beta
4. True or false: An orange pigmentation on a fruit or vegetable means it likely contains more alpha- than beta-carotene.
NEXT PAGE: Which of the following does not have significant levels of alpha-carotene?
5. Which of the following does not have significant levels of alpha-carotene?
b) Snap beans
c) Whole-wheat bread
NEXT PAGE: The answers!
ANSWERS: 1: a; 2: b; 3: a; 4: false; 5: c.
Sources: http://tuftshealthletter.com; http://lpi.oregonstate.edu