Please note:

Any dietary or drug treatment with high doses of micronutrients may override the body's own control mechanisms; therefore, micronutrient therapies may be associated with potential side effects and toxicities. High-dosed micronutrients should not be used without medical supervision.

 

Age-related macular degeneration

A major clinical trial, the Age Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS1), found that patients with age-related macular degeneration could slow its progression by taking beta-carotene (15 mg), vitamin C (500 mg), vitamin E (400 mg), zinc (80 mg), and copper (2 mg) (37).

 

As beta-carotene has been given together with other antioxidants, its potential beneficial effect cannot be quantified.

 

Sun sensitivity

Studies suggest that high doses of beta-carotene may decrease sensitivity to the sun: in people with ‘erythropoietic protoporphyria’, a rare genetic photosensitivity disorder leading to abnormal skin reactions to sunlight, beta-carotene in doses of up to 180 mg has been shown to reduce sun sensitivity (38).