What Makes Human Skin Turn an Orange Color?

Beta-carotene is good for eye health.

Skin can appear orange when a person consumes a lot of foods containing beta-carotene. This condition is known as carotenemia. The body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A, which aids in keeping the immune system functioning and is good for the eyes.

Causes

Carrots contain beta-carotene.

Carotenemia is most commonly found in babies when introduced to solid foods or in adults who eat a lot of carrots or drink large amounts of carrot juice. Other food sources of beta-carotene include squash, shrimp, sweet potatoes, spinach and leafy green vegetables, cantaloupes, apricots, fish and pumpkin.

Treatments

This condition is usually harmless; however, it can be mistakenly diagnosed as jaundice. Food consumption containing beta-carotene should be reduced and vitamin A should be avoided. Carotenemia eventually goes away after these treatment methods are undertaken.

Fun Fact

The real color of a flamingo is white.

The real color of a flamingo is white. The familiar pink color of a flamingo comes from the large amounts of beta-carotene in the shrimp it eats.

References

• Cure Search: Introduction - Carotenemia
• Wrong Diagnosis: Carotenemia
• Emedicine: Carotenemia
• Medicine Net: Definition of Carotenemia
• Life 123: Preventing Carotenemia