A RESEARCH project to measure the effects of eating carrots on cancer and inflammatory diseases has been launched at Newcastle University.

It follows earlier experiments which showed that chemicals in certain root vegetables reduced cancer growth in rats.

Bringing together food scientists, chemists and clinicians, the new study will focus on compounds known as polyacetylenes, found in carrots, parsnips and celeriac.

Polyacetylenes are chemicals that protect the plant from attack and only occur in vegetables of the carrot family and a few other closely related species such as ginseng.

Previous lab-based work has suggested these compounds can have beneficial effects on cell culture models of inflammation and cancer.

Now the team, led by PhD student Sarah Warner, plan to recruit more than 20 volunteers to take part in a dietary trial.

Dr Kirsten Brandt, a senior lecturer in the university’s school of agriculture, food and rural development and the project supervisor, said: “After seeing the positive effects of feeding carrots in the animal experiments, it is important to test if it also works in humans, in particular to find out how much carrot we must eat to obtain a health benefit.

“To test this we will be investigating what effect eating these vegetables has on the levels of key indicator chemicals – known as biomarkers – in our blood.

“Biomarkers can be used to assess how well the body’s cells are functioning and thus indicate the risk that a person will develop a disease in the future."

The study is funded by the British Carrot Growers’ Association and the Horticultural Development Company.