Yellow Skin

[Lincoln-Imp]

A fair few people have commented my skin looks yellow/tanned, one was quite concerned. It's got me worried, could eating a lot of papayas cause this? I eat at least one large one a day.

 

[Dutchie]

A few years back,I've had the same happen to me. I was eating a lot of pumpkin(&carrots).

I know it's supposedly bc of beta-carotene,but I myself wonder if it's bc of alpha-carotene or something else bc I did eat a lot of leafy greens,which are higher in beta-carotene,and never turned yellow/orange like an Oompa Loompa.

Regardless of which carotene it is,it's usually a sign of a severely overburdened liver bc it can't convert the carotenes to Vit.A.
This could be bc of several reasons,in my case it was bc I wasn't eating enough protein which meant that I wasn't getting in enough B12 (which is needed for beta-carotene conversion).
I also had slow gutmotillity/low bowelmovements which only worsens everything.

 

[Dutchie]

A few years back,I've had the same happen to me. I was eating a lot of pumpkin(&carrots).

I know it's supposedly bc of beta-carotene,but I myself wonder if it's bc of alpha-carotene or something else bc I did eat a lot of leafy greens,which are higher in beta-carotene,and never turned yellow/orange like an Oompa Loompa from eating all the greens.

Regardless of which carotene it is,it's usually a sign of a severely overburdened liver bc it can't convert the carotenes to Vit.A.
This could be bc of several reasons,in my case it was bc I wasn't eating enough protein which meant that I wasn't getting in enough B12 (which is needed for beta-carotene conversion).
I also had slow gutmotillity/low bowelmovements which only worsens everything.

 

[aguilaroja]

A fair few people have commented my skin looks yellow/tanned..could eating a lot of papayas cause this? I eat at least one large one a day.

It is a useful observation and useful thought. Papaya contains some beta-carotene, though much less than carrots:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papaya
"Excessive consumption of papaya can cause carotenemia, the yellowing of soles and palms, which is otherwise harmless. However, a very large dose would need to be consumed; papaya contains about 6% of the level of beta carotene found in carrots (the most common cause of carotenemia).[30]"

Papaya also contains cryptoxanthin and lutein, which are yellow pigments.

I have not noticed papaya juice and papaya juice eaters with this issue, but perhaps I do not often encounter people who consume large amounts. If bowel transit time is an issue, it might be helpful to also factor in elimination of carotene. Dutchie also mentioned liver function, another thought when metabolism is sluggish.

 

[Deleted member 5487]

A fair few people have commented my skin looks yellow/tanned, one was quite concerned. It's got me worried, could eating a lot of papayas cause this? I eat at least one large one a day.

I've been eating alot of pineapple and it started.

 

[dreamcatcher]

It can be caused by hypothyroidism. The condition can also be aggravated by consuming too much fat since it's connected to liver health.