E-Mail IMAGE: (From left): Doctoral students Ivan Pinos and Johana Coronel, and Assistant Professor Jaume Amengual, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at University of Illinois, with the latest issue of... view more Credit: College of ACES. URBANA, Ill. - Carrots are a good source of beta-carotene, which is a precursor of vitamin A. But to get the full health benefits of this superfood, you need an active enzyme to produce this vitamin. Beta-carotene is the bioactive compound that gives carrots their orange color. Studies with humans and mice show the conversion of beta-carotene to vitamin A reduces "bad" cholesterol in the blood. Thus, beta-carotene can help protect against atherosclerosis development, which leads to the accumulation of fats and cholesterol in our arteries. Atherosclerosis cardiovascular disease is the primary cause of death worldwide, says Jaume Amengual, assistant professor of personalized nutrition in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at University of Illinois.