I heard that someone ate too many carrots and their skin turned orange-?

Question

Is this just an urban legend?

Answer 1

No, it is not an urban legend. It's called carotenosis.

That actually happened to me when I was a small child, honest to God. When I was real little my mom always had a hard time getting me to eat, and carrots were one of the few foods I loved.

It's essentially carotene overload.

Answer 2

Yes, you can get an orange hue from all the beta kerotene in the carrots. Carrots help with eyesight so back during wars, they would have pilots eat plenty of carrots so they could get better sight. The pilots had orange-shaded skin. I think I saw this on Mythbusters or some other true show.

Answer 3

Yep, as was already said, the beta carotine from the carrot will turn you orange if you eat an excessive amount. It kind of looks like you used a cheap self-tanner! But it is more likely that your skin will turn orange if you drink too much carrot juice, it's easier to drink and there are tonnes of people that do this accidentally when they first get juicers.

Answer 4

It's true! I have a book called "The Medical Detectives" by Berton Roueche that contains some fascinating medical stories. It includes a chapter called "The Orange Man", which is about a man who's skin was orange, and his doctor finally determined that it was from eating so many carrots!

Answer 5

Vitamin A is fat-soluble (water-soluble vitamins are not stored- excess is excreted) and is stored in your body along with vitamins D, E and vitamin K. Your body can store up to two years worth in your liver. Levels above 100,000 IU of vitamin A are considered toxic (hypervitaminosis). Loss of hair can occur with megadoses of vitamin A. Excess carotene can cause your skin and the whites of your eyes to turn yellow. Generally, carotene will turn the skin yellow when the intake is above 20 mg per day (about 34,000 IU). The yellow skin tint is most noticeable on the hands and soles of your feet where there is little underlying tissue between the skin and bones. If the carotene supplement is discontinued, the skin will lose the yellow tint.

Answer 6

No. Too much betacarotine will do this. My mother babysat for a family who were all vegetarians and the kids were basically "pasty white" but they did have a little shading of orange in certain light...like they were a bit jaundiced at 4 years old or however old they were. I was actually in Kindergarten at the time so I don't remember seeing these kids but I have no reason to believe my mother would lie. She was told to give them carrot juice rather than fruit punch or fruit juice because their mother was trying to feed them as natural as possible. I think they drank milk too but not that much.

Answer 7

Yes and no. Your skin will not turn completely orange. You will have an orange tint to it, kind of bronze tint. And it does not look bad like you would think. My babies always ate a lot of carrots and had a beautiful color to their skin. My grandmother also juices. She goes through about 50 pound of carrots in 2 weeks juicing them and has a nice color to her skin also.

Answer 8

I juice and drink 2 pounds of carrots every day, and have for years. In addition, I eat baby carrots throughout the day. I have lovely skin, not orange in the least. I think you would have to consume NOTHING but carrots, in excess, for a long period of time to turn orange

Answer 9

An excessive amount of carotene (a pigment in carrots and other things) can turn skin orange, but eating carrots will not put nearly that much carotene in your system.

Answer 10

Its true but it would take many many carrots over a long period
of time for the carotene or the orange colour to turn the skin colour