Nutrition Diet: What is a symptom of beta-carotene toxicity?

November 1, 2025 •

3 min read

While excess preformed vitamin A can be highly toxic, high intakes of beta-carotene from food are not. What is a symptom of beta-carotene toxicity? The most common sign is a benign yellow-orange skin pigmentation known as carotenemia.

Quick Summary

The main symptom of excess beta-carotene is carotenemia, a harmless yellowing of the skin most visible on the palms and soles. This is distinct from severe vitamin A toxicity, as the body regulates conversion. High-dose supplements, particularly in smokers, carry greater risks than dietary intake.

Key Points

Yellow-Orange Skin Discoloration: The main symptom of beta-carotene excess is a benign condition called carotenemia, causing the skin to turn yellow or orange.
Jaundice is Different: Unlike jaundice, which indicates liver issues and also turns the whites of the eyes yellow, carotenemia does not affect the sclera.
Food vs. Supplements: High intake from dietary sources is harmless, but high-dose supplements (over 20 mg/day) carry a risk of lung cancer for smokers and those exposed to asbestos.
Body Regulation: The body regulates the conversion of beta-carotene to vitamin A, preventing toxic levels of vitamin A from accumulating from beta-carotene intake alone.
Harmless and Reversible: Carotenemia is not dangerous and resolves on its own once excessive intake of beta-carotene is reduced.
Focus on Dietary Sources: To maximize antioxidant benefits without risk, it's best to rely on a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables rather than high-dose supplements.
Seek Medical Advice: If skin discoloration persists or is accompanied by other symptoms, consult a doctor to rule out other underlying health conditions like liver problems.

Understanding Beta-Carotene and Toxicity

Beta-carotene is a pigment found in colorful fruits and vegetables that the body converts into vitamin A, which is essential for vision, skin, and immune health. Unlike preformed vitamin A from animal sources and supplements, the body controls the conversion of beta-carotene from plants, preventing a toxic buildup of vitamin A from food. True vitamin A toxicity from beta-carotene is extremely rare.

Carotenemia: The Primary Sign of Excess Beta-Carotene

What is a symptom of beta-carotene toxicity? The most common symptom of excessive beta-carotene intake is carotenemia, a condition causing yellow-orange skin discoloration due to pigment depositing in the skin. This is most noticeable on the palms, soles, and nasolabial folds. A key distinguishing feature from jaundice is that the whites of the eyes (sclerae) remain white. Carotenemia is generally harmless and reversible by reducing beta-carotene intake.

Sources of Excess Beta-Carotene

Dietary Sources

Carotenemia often results from consuming large amounts of beta-carotene-rich foods over time. This includes foods like carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and leafy greens. Intense or restrictive diets high in these foods are a common cause, as is high intake of pureed carrots or squash in infants.

Supplemental Sources

While dietary beta-carotene is generally safe, high-dose supplements can be problematic, particularly for certain individuals. Studies have shown that high-dose beta-carotene supplements (20 mg/day or more) are associated with an increased risk of lung cancer and cardiovascular disease death in smokers, former smokers, and asbestos-exposed workers. This risk emphasizes the preference for obtaining beta-carotene from food rather than supplements for these groups. For the general population, the risks are less clear, and the benefits of supplements are not as well-established as those from a balanced diet.

Beta-Carotene vs. Preformed Vitamin A Toxicity

It is vital to distinguish the benign effects of excess beta-carotene (carotenemia) from the potentially severe toxicity of preformed vitamin A (hypervitaminosis A). The table below highlights their key differences:


Feature	Beta-Carotene Toxicity (Carotenemia)	Preformed Vitamin A Toxicity (Hypervitaminosis A)
Cause	Excessive intake of carotenoid-rich foods or high-dose supplements.	Excessive intake of preformed vitamin A from animal sources (e.g., liver) or supplements.
Symptom Severity	Generally benign.	Potentially severe and life-threatening in acute cases.
Primary Symptom	Yellow-orange skin discoloration (carotenodermia), especially on palms and soles.	Headaches, blurred vision, nausea, dizziness, and muscle aches; can progress to liver damage, increased intracranial pressure, and coma.
Eye Appearance	Whites of the eyes (sclerae) remain white.	Can affect vision, blurred vision, and other eye-related symptoms.
Reversibility	Condition resolves harmlessly upon reduction of intake.	Can be serious, and some effects, like liver damage, may be permanent.
Risk Group	General population, especially those on high-carotene diets. Smokers and asbestos-exposed individuals face increased lung cancer risk from supplements.	General population, but particularly hazardous for pregnant women (due to birth defect risk) and infants.

Conditions that Affect Beta-Carotene Levels

Besides diet, certain health conditions can contribute to carotenemia by affecting how the body metabolizes beta-carotene. These include hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus, and kidney or liver disease.

Conclusion: Navigating Beta-Carotene Intake

Obtaining beta-carotene from a diverse diet of colorful fruits and vegetables is the safest and most beneficial method for most people. The body's natural regulation prevents severe vitamin A toxicity from food, with carotenemia being the main outcome of excessive intake. The primary concern regarding beta-carotene is high-dose supplements, which pose risks, especially for smokers and those with asbestos exposure. It is always advisable to consult a healthcare professional before starting any new supplement. If you experience persistent or sudden skin yellowing, consult a doctor to rule out other medical issues like jaundice.

Frequently Asked Questions

The primary symptom of excess beta-carotene is a yellow-orange skin discoloration called carotenemia, which is a harmless condition.

No, carotenemia does not affect the sclera (the whites of the eyes), which remain white. This is a key feature that differentiates it from jaundice.

While excessive consumption of foods like carrots or sweet potatoes can lead to the benign symptom of carotenemia, it does not cause severe vitamin A toxicity because the body regulates the conversion of beta-carotene.

High-dose beta-carotene supplements (typically 20 mg/day or more) have been linked to an increased risk of lung cancer in current and former smokers and individuals with asbestos exposure. It is advised that these groups avoid high-dose supplements.

Carotenemia is treated by reducing or stopping the intake of high-beta-carotene foods or supplements. The skin discoloration will typically resolve gradually over several weeks to months.

Carotenemia is a harmless skin discoloration caused by excess beta-carotene. Hypervitaminosis A is a serious, potentially dangerous condition caused by an excess of preformed vitamin A (retinol), leading to symptoms like headaches and liver damage.

Foods high in beta-carotene include carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, winter squash, cantaloupe, apricots, mangoes, and leafy green vegetables such as spinach and kale.