Trivia # 13: Carrots

I'm sure all of you have heard that eating carrots will improve your night vision. Sadly, this is not true. A study that was conducted in Australia in the late 1900s looked at relationships between the intake of Vitamin A and eyesight. Those who had poor eyesight had eaten carrots, but it didn't help. The only way it would improve your vision is if you had a deficiency of Vitamin A. In fact, some other foods such as kale and red peppers have more Vitamin A than carrots. Why do carrots get all this attention then?

It all started during World War I. Britain's Royal Air Force was extremely successful in hitting Nazi planes due to new technology called Airborne Interception Radar. To prevent this information from falling into the enemy's  hands, the British Intelligence came up with a rumor that carrots were the source of their success. They even made up news about it, featuring highly successful Flight Lieutenant John "Cat Eyes" Cunningham, who was known for his love for carrots. This false advice was so believable that the English public started consuming carrots to help them find their way during blackouts.

However, carrots do provide you with many health benefits, such as better skin, growth, and teeth, so eat up!

This entry was posted in Carrots, Trivia.