Carrots give you night vision
| Carrots give you night vision | |
|---|---|
| MISLEADING | |
| "Eating lots of carrots dramatically improves your ability to see in the dark." | |
| Domain | Food, Nutrition & Wellness |
| Tactic | Propaganda Technique False Context |
| Era | Historical |
| First seen | 1940 |
| Origin | British government publicity during World War II about night-fighter pilots |
| Last reviewed | 2026-10-29 |
| Further reading: books on Food, Nutrition & Wellness | |
The belief that carrots give you night vision was boosted by British wartime publicity. During the Blitz, Royal Air Force night-fighter pilots such as John "Cat's Eyes" Cunningham shot down German bombers using new airborne radar. Stories credited their success to eating carrots, which helped keep the radar secret and encouraged people to eat home-grown vegetables.
The claim
Generations of children have been told carrots will help them see in the dark.
What the evidence shows
- Vitamin A. Carrots contain beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A. Severe vitamin A deficiency causes night blindness, and correcting it restores vision.
- No super-vision. For people with adequate vitamin A, extra carrots do not improve night vision.
- Propaganda. The Ministry of Food promoted carrots with characters like "Doctor Carrot."
Sources
- Smithsonian Magazine, "A WWII Propaganda Campaign Popularized the Myth That Carrots Help You See in the Dark," August 2013.