Conventional wisdom holds that eating carrots – or taking herbal supplements that contain vitamin A – is good for your eyes. Health authorities largely agree with this notion, since carrots and other vegetables contain retinol, also known as vitamin A, which is crucial in the production of the metabolite retinal, a molecule that is essential for color vision. Now, researchers have announced that a derivative of retinol may also slow the rate of cell growth in breast cancer tumors.

A study conducted at the Fox Chase Cancer Center determined that retinoic acid, another metabolite of vitamin A, binds to a protein receptor which regulates and ultimately limits cell growth.

Scientists cultured four lines of breast cancer cells, each representing a successive stage of the disease. They found that in the first two stages, this receptor’s gene was active, indicating that the presence of retinoic acid can bind to receptors that may inhibit carcinogenic growth.

However, the team warned that in later stages, tumor cells were found to have an inactivated form of the receptor, suggesting that it is in the early stages of the condition that vitamin A may help moderate cell growth.

Even during good health, taking a daily vitamin supplement containing vitamin A can keep the eyes and skin healthy while maintaining efficient genetic transcription.