Sunday, June 21, 2015

CARROTS AND SHOOTING DOWN GERMANS

Notwithstanding any assertions by Bugs Bunny to the contrary, eating carrots will not give you superior night vision or eyesight in general. This concept was a ruse started by the RAF during World War II after the British had developed Airborne Interception Radar which enabled fighter pilots at night to achieve great accuracy in shooting down the Luftwaffe. In order to conceal the successful use of radar on their fighter planes, the British leaked information that the sharpshooting pilots had developed superhuman night vision through excessive carrot consumption.

It is unlikely that the Germans completely bought the story. They, after all, were equipping their own night fighter aircraft with radar.

Carrots do contain beta carotene, which is used by the body to produce Vitamin A, and a severe loss of Vitamin A can cause blindness. However, the average American diet contains enough Vitamin A that consuming additional carrots will have no effect on vision.

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