A new study has found that consuming a diet rich in carotenes - bioactive compounds found in yellow, orange and green fruits and vegetables, such as carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, broccoli, bell peppers, mangoes, papayas, apricots, among others, can help reduce the build-up of fats in arteries, and blockage.

The study showed that a high level of carotenes in the blood is linked with a lower degree of atherosclerosis in the arteries and thus a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases. Atherosclerosis is the build-up of fat, generally the LDL or "bad" type of cholesterol, on the inner walls of the blood vessels. This build-up, in the form of atherosclerotic plaques, causes a narrowing of the vessel's internal diameter, thereby hindering the blood's circulation.