Overview
- New reports revisit the 1974 case of Dr Basil Brown, a 48-year-old health-food advocate from Croydon who died after an extreme carrot-juice and vitamin regimen.
- Contemporary accounts state he drank about ten gallons of carrot juice over ten days while taking high-strength vitamin A supplements.
- A coroner ruled the death as "Death from carrot-juice addiction" and found liver damage comparable to that seen in chronic alcoholics.
- Examiners noted his skin had turned yellow-orange from carotene buildup, a visible sign distinct from internal vitamin A toxicity.
- Doctors explained that vitamin A is fat-soluble and stored in the liver, where excessive accumulation can cause organ failure, making the case a lasting cautionary tale about overconsumption of supplements.