Scientifically known as Daucus Carota, carrots categorically are in the same family as fennel, cumin, dill, celery and parsley. They mainly originated in geographies of Central Asia and Middle East and their original flavor were somewhat different to the contemporary ones. The carrot as a plant stores its foodstuff in its roots. Besides their common use for consumption, they can be juiced or grated. They bring a distinct flavor when used in salads and meals. Although generally considered to be orange, yet carrots’ color can be as diverse as green, red, white and even purple.

Some astounding medical benefits

Created rich in Vitamin A carotene, carrot is an excellent source of antioxidant for the treatment of cancer and protection from some cardiovascular diseases. They are also instrumental for the regulation of sugar in our blood. The findings of a survey conducted on 1,300 patients, reveal those who eat carotene-rich foods such as carrot or squash, at least once a day, have about 60% less risk of cancer than those deficient in their carotene intakes. In specific terms, while the regular consumption of carotenoid reduces the risk of post-menopause breast cancer by an estimated 20%; on the other hand esophageal cancer, bladder cancer, uterine cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, throat cancer and lung cancer are believed to reduce the risk by an astounding 50%.

Scientists state that the risk-reducing influence of the carrot comes not only as a result of its beta-carotene ingredient but also from its alpha-carotene and some other elements.

How does carrot improve the quality of vision?

Unsurprisingly carrots are known for the goodness they bring to the eyes; particularly valuable for improving night vision. The beta carotene has been made to play a pivotal role in this respect. An incredibly sophisticated process eventuates as Vitamin A is converted in the liver into beta-carotene and is then carried to the retina of the eye. It is here when beta-carotene is converted to rhodopsin, imperative pigment that aids night vision. It is with rohdopsin that vision is sharpened and sight becomes possible in darker environments. On the contrary however, when there is Vitamin A deficiency in the body, night sight is adversely impacted. Moreover the antioxidant in beta-carotene has been equipped with an additional protective role against macular degeneration as well as cataract.

Carrot’s falcarinol and colon’s well being

The natural pesticide (falcarinol) found in carrots is believed to reduce the risk of cancer. In order to ascertain this relationship between falcarinol and cancer risk reduction, the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, conducted an experimental study on the subject. Three different groups of laboratory animals had been given precancerous colon lesions. The first group was fed with standard diet, the second group with freeze-dried carrots that contained a natural level of falcarinol while the third group was exclusively fed falcarionol/g derived from carrots. After 18 weeks period, the number of lesions which were given to potentially increase the class size, significantly decreased in those rats fed with one of the two experimental treatments. The finding demonstrated that dietary treatments with carrot’s falcarinol caused delay and in some cases the retardation in the development of large tumors.

This established a significant relationship between those critical endowed carrot contents and the risk-reduction of cancerous tumors.

Carrots and lung protection

Overtime a number of studies have been conducted and research have established direct link between Vitamin A and its role in the protection of lungs. The scientifically established relationship between Vitamin A, pneumonia and emphysema, found that the benzo(a)pyrene, the main carcinogen in cigarette smoke causes the Vitamin A to diminish. This is especially true when long term smoke addicts who have also had poor Vitamin A diet, causes more cancer-related diseases and emphysema.

Earlier studies have also demonstrated that a diet poor in Vitamin A causes emphysema. Subsequent studies have further substantiated that a diet rich in Vitamin A can help reduce emphysema. Indisputably carrots are rich in their Vitamin A reserves. Carrots have been also made with the capacity to aid and protect our lungs.

Experts are therefore of the opinion that carrot is stomach and intestines’ close friend. It can be said that their overall benefits can range from blood-formation, to strength, from diarrhea control, to being laxative, to their help with bile discharges and the strengthening of the liver brings to attention the remarkably latent benefits within carrots and makes them an indispensable vegetable beyond the immediate value of taste and color.

This discovery about carrots, amongst innumerable other vegetables, virtually makes the earth a mighty pharmacy which is orderly fashioned with numerous therapeutic qualities in the form of vegetables and herbs spread out in abundance. Quite substantially it appears that not only do they attract with their beauty and color the gazes of our eyes; not only do they afford us with innumerable varieties of tastes and flavors but in addition with the use of their innate given potentials they work extraordinarily and in remedial manner whilst in our bodies.

All this appropriately recalls to mind the Might and Power of God Almighty as eloquently expressed in the Quran “Who is it that provides for you from heaven and earth?” (Quran Al-Yunus, 10:31)

I hang between your stomach and your duodenum under it, attached to the intestinal mesenteries. I have two different identities in terms of my structure and function. I carry out two very different duties as a compound gland made up of both exocrine and endocrine tissues. So, I am granted a very special structure and chemical abilities to function well. One of my duties is related to the physiology of digestion: I break up the food passing from the stomach to the duodenum by pouring on it the four types of digestive enzymes I have been enabled to produce. These juices are carried through a tiny pipe to your duodenum. Two of them are used for breaking up proteins, one for carbohydrates, and one for fats. You don’t even realize it! As the food you take in passes from the stomach to the duodenum, my enzymes begin flowing faster. This is a very fine balance: while food is being digested, neither the enzymes should be wasted, nor should your intestinal walls be harmed. I don’t control the release of the enzymes. That duty is given to two hormones produced in your intestinal mucosa by the stimulus of the vagus nerve. When those hormones reach me by the bloodstream, my cells are stimulated and they secrete water, bicarbonate, and the digestive enzymes I mentioned and they flow into your duodenum through my duct.

My second job is the production of insulin and glucagon hormones, as the endocrinal pancreas. My cell clusters, which are also known as islets of Langerhans, have different types as separate groups, which you call alpha and beta. The insulin, which is produced by my beta cells, is used for regulating the glucose level in your blood. The duty of insulin is to stimulate your body cells to take the glucose in your blood and use it.

After you have a meal, the carbohydrates in it are broken down into glucose molecules, pass into the blood, and increase your blood sugar. For your body to function in a healthy way, the amount of glucose should be around 100mg/ml (it varies from 80–120). When the level is above the normal value, I secrete insulin. In this way, the sugar is carried to your cells and burned to produce energy, and its increase in your blood is brought back under control. Also, insulin helps you to store sugar in fat tissues and to turn them into fatty acids, and it slows the breaking down of fatty acids. Moreover, insulin helps you to make protein in your body by holding amino acids within your muscle tissues and storing glucose in your liver and turning it into glycogen.

The failure of my beta cells to secrete insulin is a serious problem; the consequence is “diabetus mellitus,” or what we commonly know as diabetes. A person with this disorder must abstain from various delicious foods and drinks. In cases where a strict diet does not solve the problem, patients may have to take insulin shots every day. Diabetes can cause many complications by damaging your nerves and blood vessels; I won’t go into types of diabetes so I don’t get sidetracked too much. I just wished to make a point: even a substance produced by a tiny cluster of cells can upset the functioning of many of your mechanisms. After having a meal, put your hand to the left of your abdomen below the stomach and remember what a blessing I am!

As for the glucagon hormone I secrete from my alpha cells, it does just the opposite of insulin and causes the sugar stored in your cells to be released into your bloodstream. When your blood sugar decreases-due to hunger, overwork, exercise, and so on-it causes the glycogen in your liver to be used in order to increase the level of your blood sugar. As adrenalin secreted by the adrenal glands helps glycogen to be broken down and to be released into the blood as glucose, they function as an integrated system. Glucagon also slows down the synthesis of glycogen, and it accelerates the break-up of proteins and fat metabolism. I think now you get it, Peter. Insulin and glycagon are parts of a biological feedback mechanism controlling one another. People discovered all these facts after years of lab research; now do you see how ridiculous it is to see me as a work of blind chance?

Like any other organ, I can also contract various diseases. The most common ones are acute or chronic inflammation, tumors, and cysts. I am easily troubled with inflammation in people with alcohol habits. Since enzyme secretions-and therefore digestive processes-are then not carried out properly, some undigested fats and fibers with proteins are excreted with the feces. A problem can arise with the intestines due to digestive deficiency. And if I completely fail to fulfill my duty owing to a chronic inflammation or tumor, then doctors take me out and you become dependent on insulin and a special liquid obtained from the pancreas.

It is sad to say that my cancer is not quickly recognized. It develops very fast and I try to keep up my duty as long as possible. Therefore, it is usually too late when diagnosed. There is nothing much modern medicine can do after it spreads. Although it is not definite yet, I suspect cigarettes play a role in my cancer.

As for diabetes, even though a promising method of treatment has been discovered, certain problems haven’t been overcome yet. The transplant of beta cells from the pancreas of someone who has just died-with as much tissue compatibility as possible-has had partial success. As with every other organ transplant, tissue rejection is a challenge. If the human genome project succeeds and the genetic code of the human body is thoroughly solved, it may be possible to cure diabetes by genetic engineering techniques. This is only at research level for now, but if scientists do their best, it is possible to find a way, since there is a treatment for every disease except for old age and death. You see Peter, as the vicegerents on earth, you humans are supposed to explore the secrets of the universe and appreciate the beauties you discover. I think I have said enough now. Thanks for listening, Peter!

Irfan Yilmaz is a professor of biology at Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey.

We can use electron or tunnel microscopes to extend our observations. Moreover, we discover that the great forces which help to keep together all the parts, from the biggest to the smallest, are active all the time just in order to make the wall stand still. This tells us that the wall has been built according to pre-determined calculations and geometry. So we can extrapolate this and imagine the creation of matter first as a sub-atomic particle, after that as a nucleus,¹ an atom and a molecule and continuing on. This situation clearly shows that at first matter (a kind of raw material) was created in a way that we cannot explain with causes. This matter was then subjected to construction by the Divine Knowledge, Will, and Power in the framework of the relationship of cause and effect in the universe. Today, we know that, starting from the molecule and going into more detail, that in the atomic system there is the atomic nucleus, and in the nucleus there are nucleons (protons and neutrons) and quarks in each nucleon; these tiny particles are kept together by very high forces (strong nuclear force). In other words, as the sizes of things get smaller in this physical world-from the galactic scale to the subatomic scale-the force required to keep things together becomes greater, in inverse proportion to the size. There are four kinds of forces known in the physical world: gravity, weak nuclear force, strong nuclear force and electromagnetic force. Gravity is the weakest of these forces, while strong nuclear force is the strongest. Gravity, the natural force by which all objects are attracted to each other, operates between immense objects like stars, medium-scaled things like planets and small things like apples. Gravity is 1,040 times weaker than the strong nuclear force that is used to keep the sub-atomic particles, such as the proton and quark in the nucleus, together. It is still a matter of debate in quantum physics if sub-atomic particles (those that are smaller than the electron) have a physical entity that we call a “body,” even though their existence has been proven and they have been named.

Can sub-atomic particles give information about the actual nature of matter?

Sub-atomic particles

It has been determined in research that has been carried out since the 1930s, as a result of collisions in particle accelerators, that the quark is the smallest particle. Another, theoretical, way to obtain the quark would be to heat matter to a trillion degrees Celsius and, break the matter down as much as possible. But in today’s conditions this is not possible. Therefore, the theory of Big Bang first came about as an idea that said: “There must have been extremely hot temperatures, or more accurately, there must have been very great and sudden explosions that caused these hot temperatures during the first creation of matter.” This idea has been widely accepted among physicists. At the end of the 20th century, it was realized that the same situation is valid for anti-matter. It was also obvious that matter and the organization and continuity of its mirror image, anti-matter, cannot be explained by mere coincidence.

Studies on matter and anti-matter

Matter can be defined as the intensified condition of energy and which can be converted to energy again (E=mc²). The reactions of fission and fusion² mean the transformation of the one-thousandth or one-ten thousandth of a mass into energy (the rest is transformed into other masses). However it is possible for matter to combine with anti-matter and be transformed into energy with 100% efficiency. So what is anti-matter? In 1931, Paul Dirac started to make predictions about the existence of a strange group of particles that he called anti-matter, as a result of theoretical studies.³ After Carl Anderson of the California Technology Institute carried out studies that supported Dirac’s ideas began to attract attention. But not liking publicity and being a retiring type, Dirac did not encourage the media to become interested in this subject-he had earlier turned down the Nobel Prize. Today, Dirac’s name is known only by those who are expert in the subject, but anti-matter is one of the deepest secrets of modern physics. It is not difficult to understand anti-matter, in spite of the fact that it is often presented as a very complicated subject. In some cases, the particles of anti-matter are the same as those of matter-for example, mass. In anti-matter the situation of properties such as electrical charge,⁴ magnetic moment,⁵ and spin,⁶ which are related to the main particles, is the opposite of the main particles of matter. The greatest difference is that the electrical charges are opposite. The nucleus of anti-matter is negative, not positive. In its orbit there are positrons with positive charges, not negative. The existence of anti-matter has been proven with particle accelerators.

Physicists have been able to obtain very small amounts of anti-matter by breaking down the sub-atomic particles with a speed close to that of the speed of light in CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research, Geneva) and in the Fermi Laboratories (USA). Just as the system of matter was created from very small sub-atomic particles, anti matter was also created from very small anti-matter particles. The only difference between them is that their charges are opposite. As soon as the very small and very fast main particles of both matter and anti-matter come into existence, they cannot survive long and immediately become energy (in one-billionth of a second) and disappear with the ambiguous physical aspects; this is because they are not suitable structurally or functionally for the conditions of the universe, which has already cooled. In order to determine this, particles without mass or those with very small masses which were obtained after collisions in the particle accelerators were kept in very special conditions; the lightest matter in the universe, that is hydrogen, and the anti-matter of hydrogen (anti-hydrogen atoms) were synthesized (a hydrogen atom is the proton itself). However, all these processes are very expensive. The life of nine anti-hydrogen atoms that were produced in CERN in 1995 was just 40 nanoseconds (one forty-billionth of a second). One million anti-hydrogen atoms were produced in the same laboratories. Their total weight was just one quadrillionth of a kilogram (Weed, 2003). As of 2005, the yearly global production of anti-hydrogen atoms was approximately one hundred billionth of a kilogram and it costs one quadrillion dollars to produce on ounce (28.3 grams) (Berman, 2005). In almost all Big Bang models, it is estimated that equal amounts of matter and anti-matter were created in the time-space universe that existed 14 billion years ago. Taking into account the scale of the universe, the fact that everything was created in pairs seems logical. But apart from the anti-matter that “appears and disappears” in particle accelerators, there is no trace or mark of this. All the anti-matter that is thought to have been created with matter at the beginning seems to have disappeared in less than a second, even if the universe came into being with the Big Bang or something else. So where has all this anti-matter gone and how did it happen? The studies to understand this continue. One of them is related to the radioactive beta decay of weak nuclear force, which is accepted as one of the four fundamental forces. During this decay, a neutron in the atomic nucleus becomes a proton, but the time in which it does this is unpredictable. Meanwhile, an electron and a particle called the anti-neutrino⁷ are emitted from the neutron. In some rare isotopes, we see double beta decay. In this process, both neutrons in the nucleus decay at the same time, which means that they are converted to protons, with two electrons and two anti-neutrinos are emitted at the same time. Physicists have been experimentally observing double beta decay for more than 20 years. However, Hans Klapdor-Kleingrothaus and his colleagues from the Max Planck Nuclear Physics Institute (Heidelberg) say that they have been observing a different version of double beta decay and claim that no anti-neutrino appears in this experiment. This process was predicted by the Italian physicist Ettore Majorana in 1937, but he found it impossible to prove it. The Heidelberg team now says that they have succeeded this. The important thing about the matter and anti-matter relationship is this: if one or two anti-neutrinos are emitted from the nucleus during a normal beta or double beta decay, this means that there is a neutrino in each neutron. On the other hand, in double beta decay, in which no anti-neutrino is emitted, an anti-neutrino appears as a result of the decay of the neutron and is absorbed by another neutron without being able to be emitted; this is contrary to well-known laws. Did the Divine Power hide anti-matter in this way? If the results are correct, double-beta decay that does not emit anti-neutrino apparently indicates that the neutrino, which is hidden in the structure of the neutron, has a different place among the fundamental particles of matter.

Physicists state that the interactions and decay of matter and anti-matter are dependent on special laws, such as the preservation of energy and the number of leptons.⁸ These laws say that the duration of the exchange of matter and anti-matter is equal to time dating back to the beginning of the universe (the Big-Bang). When we look at the emission of a neutron, we can see that anti-neutrinos indicate the same number of neutrons that at the beginning each absorbed a neutrino. The results attained by the team in Heidelberg may help us to explain why the universe is full of matter and not anti-matter and why there is no visible anti-matter.

Why matter and anti-matter?

It is difficult to store anti-matter in great quantity and it is also dangerous and costly; if anti-matter comes into contact with matter, both disappear and release a great deal of energy. Dirac thought that anti-matter masses could be hidden in remote places of the universe. At this time this was a reasonable hypothesis, as a galaxy created out of anti-matter could not have been differentiated from a normal galaxy. Spectroscopic analyses at that time did not reveal any differences. But today it has been claimed that anti-matter is infrequently found in outer-space. The contact between electrons and positrons produces gamma rays with an energy equivalent to 511,000 electron volts. If anti-matter were galaxies to exist, they would interact with the usual particles that swim through intergalactic space and would cause gamma ray circles around existing galaxies. These kinds of circles were looked for, but nothing was found. We live in a new universe of matter (Berman, 2005). Marc Lachièze-Rey, the French astrophysicist, says that, “If there were any antimatter asteroids in our galaxy, they would emit x-rays that we would be able to detect as soon as it disappears with its material,” (Poirier & Greffoz, 2001). The current explanation of the physicists about the domination of matter over anti-matter in the universe has the laws of physics arranged in favor of matter. When a team from the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (2004) determined a minor but distinctive difference in the behaviors of some matter and anti-matter particles, this explanation was supported. This result implied an arrangement in which the material side overpowered the laws of physics. In terms of the causes operated being dependent on these laws, a universe that includes so much anti-matter would be very dangerous; when matter and anti-matter contact, the result is the transformation of matter into energy (E= mc²). It means a release of energy 143 times greater than a hydrogen bomb. If a marble that weighs an ounce collides with an equivalent anti-marble, 50 billion times a trillion erg of energy is released as a result of this reaction; this is enough to light all the electric bulbs in the US for a day. (Berman, 2005). In fact matter and anti-mater are similar to one another. Nobody has been able to explain why matter is dominant over antimatter instead of the other way round. Today, theoretical and experimental physicists predict that the half of the universe has been lost and the last time that it was seen was at the time of the creation of the universe. Matter and its opposite-charged anti-matter demonstrate that there was a certain predestination at the beginning of Creation, to be more exact before the Creation, in terms of knowledge, power and creating. This means that matter and anti-matter cannot exist by themselves. All the causes from the beginning were gathered to reveal a “universe of matter” (not a “universe of anti-matter”) that we can spiritually and intellectually comprehend. Anti-matter and matter demonstrate that they were created with a knowledge, will and power that existed before the creation. Otherwise, how could the first subatomic particles like hadrons, then the protons and the neutrons, then the atomic nucleus, after that the atomic system and the molecules in the sea of quarks, which are thought to be the most transparent, the most scattered, but at the same time the most fluid state (this is what can be predicted by looking at the results of particle collision experiments) of matter that appeared as the result of the Big Bang and under very great temperatures (trillions of degrees Celsius), have been formed? How could the laws that operate as the causes of this universe, a realm of symmetrical matter and antimatter, and then the structures and functions that became dominant have been formed? Could the sea of quarks (maybe the ether), which is the basis of matter, have been transformed by itself into organizations of new matter in the shape of nucleus, atomic system, and molecule only as a result of a decrease in temperature?⁹ Even if the temperature decreased, the sea of quarks could have remained the same, considering its structure. The cause and effect relationship-which we explain with the present physical laws-about temperature changes or about different states of matter may not have existed. Could the quarks have established this law? If the existence of matter and space¹⁰ occurred as a result of the Big Bang and a heat of trillions of degrees Celsius; how, when, for what reason and in which physical realm did this accumulation of energy happen? If there was no physical realm before the explosion, does physics stem from the metaphysics? Yes! The universe was created from nothing. Even if we search for the answer to this question in terms of the exact sciences, we again arrive at the same answer. The universe was created! These questions are not being asked for the first time. However the “hand of science” cannot grasp metaphysics (or pre-physics). Another interesting point here is this: the events on the large scale of the galaxy or even of the universe are trying to be understood by studies on a small scale (such as with sub-atomic particles) and by collisions in accelerators. We can say that small particles contain the index of the entire universe. Moreover, the studied particles do not individually exist. They were in the conditions of the high temperature. We can also say that, if we go in depth in sub-atomic particle studies, the existence of the particles that have very small mass (one quadrillionth of a kilogram) or those with no mass, are very rapid and have a very short life; this makes us think that matter can be created out of nothing at any moment and can be transformed into larger particles that have a greater mass. Most importantly, if we had not seen the activities in the sub-atomic realm we would not be able to understand that God’s Knowledge, Will and Power have penetrated everywhere at all times. If the sub-atomic realm had been static and inactive, God forbid, we would think that this realm was left to its own devices or that the Divine Power could not reach here. If God had not created such small, quick particles that can come into existence at any moment and be transformed into something else, we would not be able to comprehend the greatness of His Power and the intricacy of His Knowledge and Calculation.

References

• Berman, B., “What’s the Antimatter?” Discover, Vol 26, No 10, October, 2005.
• Weed, W.S., “Startrek,” Discover, Vol 24, No 8, August, 2003.
• Poirier, H. & Greffoz, V., “Asteroïdes: La menace se précise,” Science & Vie, No 1006, July, Paris, 2001.

Notes

1. This before and after relationship is valid; Our Creator, Who created the time, is not bound by time.
2. The slow chain reaction fission (the division of atomic nucleus) is the working principle in nuclear plants and it is the working principle of atomic bomb as a rapid chain reaction.
3. In 1928, Paul Dirac also predicted the existence of the positron, the anti-particle of the electron. This prediction was proven by physicist Carl Anderson at California Technology Institute in 1932.
4. The electrical charge is the application of the force of a matter on another matter, and the unit is the coulomb (C). A body is charged with electricity as a result of friction, induction, or chemical change. The charge itself shows an electron unit on the body (negative charge) or loss of electron (positive charge). The static electricity that we see when putting on an acrylic sweater or combing our hair is the result of the loss or gain of an electron from surface atoms. A charge flow, such as the passing of electrons from a copper wire, is electrical current and its unit is the ampere (A).
5. Magnetic momentum is the effect that happens dependent on the length and force of the magnet.
6. Spin is the natural angular momentum of a sub-atomic particle, such as a proton or neutron, of an atomic nucleus, an atom or a molecule; spin continues to exist even if the particle becomes inactive. A particle, in a certain state of energy, has a spin peculiar to itself as well as having an electrical charge and mass.
7. The neutrino is one of the three uncharged main particles (and one of the three uncharged anti-particles) belonged to leptons and it has a very small mass (almost zero). The three types are electron neutrino, muon neutrino and tau neutrino. The anti-particle of an electron neutrino is the anti-neutrino that is emitted during the beta decay of a nucleus.
8. Being one of the fundamental particle types that are not affected by strong nuclear forces, leptons correspond to the electron, muon, tau and the neutrinos of these three particles and also to the six anti-particles of these. In July 2000, direct proof of the tau lepton was obtained in the Fermi Laboratories. The muon, on the other hand, is a fundamental particle similar to the electron except for its mass. It is 207 times greater in mass than the electron. Its half-life is two millionthof a second. It is transformed into electrons and neutrinos at the end of this period of time. Although it is thought that the muon is a meson in origin, it has not been classified as a lepton yet. Meson is an unstable sub-atomic particle group consisting of a quark and anti-quark. Its existence was determined by cosmic radiation and it is emitted by a nucleus that has been exposed to the bombardment of very high-energy particles. The sub-class of hadrons, mesons, includes kaons and pions. Their existence was predicted by the Japanese physicist Hideki Yukawa in 1935.
9. It seems that the existence of matter and anti-matter causes the high temperature present at the beginning to drop and the combination of the sub-atomic particles (nuclear synthesis). The encounter of matter and anti-matter causes high energy. Therefore, we can understand that a very large explosion (the Big Bang) and very high temperatures were the conditions at the beginning of time.
10. Today physicists accept that matter was created out of nothing and in the space in which it was embedded.