Do carrots really benefit in sight?

Is it true that carrots improve eyesight and prevent the rabbits go blind?

This myth is widespread and always exemplified extolling the properties of carrot, saying that prevents rabbits suffering from blindness in his life by eating the plant. This is the same reason that is given to children who stray carrots on their plates, for that to "eat it or have to wear glasses."

Carrots are not as infallible as the popular view. The history of this exaggeration was born during World War II, following the British aviation minister spread the rumor that the vegetables helped his men could find much better Nazi bombers during night operations. This hoax spread to hide the real reason for the success of the English, which consisted of the development and use of air intercept radar, called AI (Airborne Interception). These allowed the British discover enemy bombers before they reached the English Channel.
The British Intelligence Service did not want the Germans were aware of this technology, in order to protect the nation, so spread a rumor to justify the increase in Nazi bombers killed. Began to appear in the British press stories about people who made ​​up the nation's defenses, as Lieutenant John Cunningham, a pilot of the Royal Air Force (RAF) who was nicknamed "Cat's Eye" because of his extraordinary vision allowed to locate their targets in the dark.

John Cunningham, Cat Eyes (Cat's Eyes)

Cunningham's abilities were attributed to his weakness for carrots. Later other stories began to ensure that airline pilots ate this vegetable to adopt similar skills. These hoaxes soon penetrated the civilian population, which began to consume carrots because they improved the view during blackouts and served them to have a keen eye. The story died down in time to the present day modified, ensuring that carrots prevent blindness, or prevent rabbits will become blind because they are large consumers of these tubers.
reach But even if such a degree of miracle eye Carrots are rich in beta-carotene natural (composed of two molecules of vitamin A), which is metabolised into vitamin A in the lining of the small intestine and is stored in the liver as retinol esters (another name for vitamin A).

Retinol is an essential component in the transmission of nerve signals generated by photons impinging light in cells called rods and cones which are in the retina. These cells send signals along the optic nerve and a complex neural network to create the visual image. Retinol is also related to the formation of retinal cells (hence its name), so it does favor the view.
When we lack vitamin A, suffer especially in our vision at night or in conditions where the lighting is dim . So we can develop night blindness because the suit will cost eye see in the dark, and in extreme cases, can become totally blind. To prevent other diseases of the eye, this vitamin is also very important, as it prevents nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, glaucoma, macular degeneration or cataracts, and even helps to overcome bacterial infections such as conjunctivitis.

For those who suffer from night blindness, a disease that prevents a correct view in the presence of low light due to a deficiency of vitamin A, is recommended to add carrots to your diet to avoid the lack of this vitamin. Moreover, an overdose of carrots might be a bad idea, since an excessive intake of vitamin A can be toxic, and in extreme cases, cause death. Another effect of excessive intake of beta-carotene is the carotenosis, a condition in which the skin turns yellowish or orange

centuries already knew the benefits brought carrots to our view, which strengthens and sharpens consuming this vegetable . Some Greek and Roman authors such as Pliny and Columella praised their properties, and their effectiveness in Dioscorides hailed his treatise De Materia Medica. Regarding the question of the article announced, rabbits actually prefer carrots in such an exaggerated, since free choose from a wide variety of vegetables. Precisely the most universally loved rabbits carrots is the stem, and may reject the orange because it is not to their liking. Perhaps the image of rabbits loving carrots due to the character of Bugs Bunny, which was attributed to this custom by chance.

Carrots are not as healthy as you think rabbits because they contain a high sugar content they can lead to diabetes, obesity or gases. You can also alter the balance of bacterial flora in the intestines, creating gastric disorders with risk of death. Sweet foods also wipe rabbit's appetite for hay, which for them is a gastric regulator for its high fiber content. 's vision rabbits is not extraordinary, since in fact, are myopic and have a "blind spot" sight in front of them, as their eyes are prepared to look at the sides (binocular disparity) to detect predators. Rabbits have their retinas higher proportion of rods than cones about humans, so although you can see in worse light conditions, the image formed in these situations has worse resolution than humans can appreciate a light acceptable as our primate retina has as many cones.

As you read this text, your eye focuses the letters with a small part of the retina called the fovea, a small depression in the retina cone shaped with an abundance of photoreceptor cells cones. The rabbits, but also have retinal sections of cones more poles, that area has no shaped central depression, and does not contain the same density of cones human fovea. Thus, in this central part, the image will be perceived granulosa rabbits compared to that formed by our fovea. To complement your vision, smell and used efficiently ear.

Finally, rabbits can suffer from blindness, because like many animals, have glaucoma, cataracts and retinal detachments.

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