Chopping Before Cooking Cuts Carrot's Cancer-Fighting Power

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Carrots retain more of an anti-cancer compound if they're not cut up before they're cooked, say British researchers.

Carrots that were chopped up before they were boiled contained 25 percent less of the anti-cancer compound falcarinol than carrots that were boiled whole, BBC News reported.

The findings will be presented at a nutrition conference in France.

"Chopping up your carrots increases the surface area so more of the nutrients leach out into the water while they are cooked," explained lead researcher Kirsten Brandt, of Newcastle University's School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development.

"By keeping them whole and chopping them up afterwards you are locking in nutrients and the taste, so the carrot is better for you all round," Brandt said, BBC News reported.