Name: 我們為何會受騙於「紅蘿蔔明目」的迷思？ (How we fell for the carrot vision myth)
Uploaded: 2026-03-26T16:43:00.000Z
Duration: 7 min 54 s

Carrots have been around for thousands of years.

情態副詞

There are even records of carrot seeds from as early as 3000 BC,

甚至有公元前 3000 年的胡蘿蔔種子紀錄，

程度副詞

but the most famous thing about them is pretty recent.

但關於牠們最有名的事情其實是最近才發生的。

There are hair on these, best thing in the world for eye carrots.

這些上面有毛，對眼睛胡蘿蔔來說是世界上最好的東西。

Sergeant, you need to eat a few more carrots to improve your eyesight.

中士，你需要多吃點胡蘿蔔來改善視力。

Mom, is it true if you eat carrots you can see in the dark?

媽，吃胡蘿蔔真的能在黑暗中看東西嗎？

I don't believe eating carrots will help you see in the dark.

我不相信吃胡蘿蔔能幫助你在黑暗中看東西。

In fact, in some conditions like retinitis pigmentosa, taking too much vitamin A can actually be toxic.

事實上，在某些情況下，例如 retinitis pigmentosa，攝取過多的維生素 A 可能會中毒。

So why did we grow up thinking this, and where did the myth come from?

那我們為什麼從小就這樣想，這個迷思又是從哪裡來的呢？

Well, the answer actually takes us back to World War II, with a story of propaganda and secret British technology.

其實，答案要帶我們回到第二次世界大戰，這是一個關於宣傳和英國祕密科技的故事。

The humble carrot, or Docus carota, is a member of the Apacii family, along with parsnips, parsley, dill, fennel, and

不起眼的胡蘿蔔，學名 Docus carota，是 Apacii 科的成員，跟歐洲防風草、巴西里、蒔蘿、茴香，

還有其他可以做成美味湯品的植物一樣。

Carrots find their origin in Central Asia, with evidence pointing to their exact birth being in present-day Afghanistan,

胡蘿蔔起源於中亞，有證據顯示牠們確切的誕生地就在現在的阿富汗，

but they quickly spread throughout North Africa, Europe, and

但牠們很快就傳播到北非、歐洲，

In an early book of herbal medicines written by Pedonius Deuscurides in around year 65, he writes that the carrot seed is "good for ye painful discharge of urine in potions." He also wrote that carrots were good for wild animal bites and even helpful for people trying to conceive.

在西元 65 年左右，Pedonius Deuscurides 寫的一本早期草藥書裡，他寫道胡蘿蔔種子「對尿液排出疼痛有益，用於藥劑中」。他也寫說胡蘿蔔對野生動物咬傷有效，甚至對想懷孕的人也有幫助。

In fact, it kind of seems like the ancient Greeks thought carrots were good for just about everything but eyesight.

事實上，古希臘人似乎認為胡蘿蔔對幾乎所有東西都有益，除了視力。

And it's in this 7th-century manuscript of Deuscurides' book that we have our first-ever image of an orange carrot, because for centuries, carrots weren't usually orange.

而這本西元七世紀的 Deuscurides 手稿，是我們第一次看到橘色胡蘿蔔的圖像，因為幾個世紀以來，胡蘿蔔通常不是橘色的。

They were purple, white, yellow, and other colors of fancy carrots you see at bougie farmers' markets.

牠們是紫色、白色、黃色，還有你在高級農夫市集裡看到的各種花俏顏色。

The iconic orange carrot that we eat today wasn't popularized until Dutch farmers bred them in the 1600s.

我們今天吃的標誌性橘色胡蘿蔔，直到荷蘭農民在 1600 年代培育出來才普及。

And some claim that the orange was chosen to honor William of Orange,

有人聲稱選擇橘色是為了紀念 William of Orange，

and orange remains an important color in the Netherlands to this day.

而橘色至今仍是荷蘭重要的顏色。

From then until the 1900s, carrots slowly became more popular.

從那時到 1900 年代，胡蘿蔔逐漸變得更受歡迎。

We can see them showing up more and more in the kitchen,

我們可以看到牠們越來越常出現在廚房裡，

As recently as 100 years ago, the carrot wasn't quite the iconic, ubiquitous vegetable that it is today.

就在 100 年前，胡蘿蔔還不是像今天這樣標誌性、無處不在的蔬菜。

And then during World War II, that changed, thanks to one ingenious piece of propaganda.

然後在第二次世界大戰期間，情況發生了變化，這要歸功於一個巧妙的宣傳。

500 German bombers and Messerschmitt fighters roared over the English coast.

500 架德國轟炸機和 Messerschmitt 戰鬥機呼嘯著飛過英格蘭海岸。

By November of 1940, London found its nights filled with terror from the skies that made sleep above ground impossible.

到了 1940 年 11 月，倫敦的夜晚被來自天空的恐怖籠罩，讓人無法在地面上入睡。

During World War II, the Germans sustained a bombing campaign in the United Kingdom called the Blitz,

在第二次世界大戰期間，德國人對英國進行了一場稱為閃電戰的轟炸行動，

and the German bomber planes frequently struck at night.

But the British developed a new secret radar that would help them in these nighttime raids.

但英國人開發了一種新的祕密雷達，能在這些夜間襲擊中幫助他們。

It meant that you were more difficult to detect, but

more importantly, you were able to detect the enemy more clearly.

更重要的是，你能夠更清楚地偵測到敵人。

And there was one pilot who made great use of this new radar technology: John Cunningham.

有一位飛行員充分利用了這項新的雷達技術：John Cunningham。

He was one of the first pilots to test this out, and he became highly successful.

他是首批測試這項技術的飛行員之一，並且非常成功。

He actually shot down at least 20 enemy aircraft and probably more.

他擊落了至少 20 架敵機，可能還更多。

一夜之間，他成了英國的英雄。

The Royal Air Force, who did not want the Nazis to recognize that we'd gained this advantage, they came up with this idea that if they could secure a well-known pilot, they could then persuade the British people.

英國皇家空軍為了不讓納粹發現我們獲得這項優勢，他們想出一個辦法：如果能找一位知名飛行員，就能說服英國民眾。

He had this exceptional night vision because he was very fond of carrots and he ate many of them.

他擁有超乎常人的夜視能力，因為他非常喜歡吃胡蘿蔔，而且吃了很多。

So he was nicknamed Cats' Eye Cunningham for his ability to spot bombers at night,

所以他因為能在夜間發現轟炸機的能力，被暱稱為「貓眼」Cunningham，

and the British told the newspapers that his uncanny ability to see in the dark came from a certain orange vegetable.

英國人告訴報紙，他那種在黑暗中看東西的驚人能力，來自一種橘色的蔬菜。

There's no mention of this particular campaign and that it was actually having any impact on sort of Nazi reactions.

這項特別的宣傳活動並沒有提到，它實際上對納粹的反應有任何影響。

At home, the myth that carrots could help your eyesight was spreading quickly.

在國內，胡蘿蔔能幫助視力的迷思迅速傳開。

Along with the stories of Cats' Eye Cunningham that they were feeding the newspapers, Britain launched the Dig for Victory campaign because the British had another vital reason to convince the population that carrots were good for them.

隨著「貓眼」Cunningham 的故事被餵給報紙，英國發起了「為勝利而挖掘」的運動，因為英國有另一個重要的理由，要說服民眾胡蘿蔔對他們有好處。

During the Second World War, as Britain faced food shortages, the government encouraged their people to grow their own food in home gardens.

在第二次世界大戰期間，英國面臨食物短缺，政府鼓勵民眾在家裡的菜園裡種植自己的食物。

And with limited space and a difficult climate, one of the easiest crops to grow was carrots.

而且由於空間有限和氣候惡劣，胡蘿蔔是最容易種植的作物之一。

The Ministry of Food put out lots of carrot-based recipes like carrot treacle, carrot flawn, and

食品部推出了許多以胡蘿蔔為基底的食譜，像是胡蘿蔔糖漿、胡蘿蔔派，

And iced carrots on a stick sold at candy stores to replace lollipops due to sugar rationing.

還有冰鎮胡蘿蔔棒，在糖果店裡販售，用來取代因為糖配給而買不到的棒棒糖。

And they developed characters aimed at convincing children to eat carrots, like this guy, Doctor Carrot.

他們還設計了像這位「胡蘿蔔博士」這樣的角色，來鼓勵小朋友吃胡蘿蔔。

Combined with the stories about Cats' Eye Cunningham, the myth that carrots could make you see in the dark was cemented.

結合「貓眼」Cunningham 的故事，胡蘿蔔能讓人在黑暗中看東西的神話就此確立。

Today, the carrot's one of the most popular vegetables.

時至今日，胡蘿蔔已是最受歡迎的蔬菜之一。

It's ranked fourth in the world, behind only its old friend, potato peat.

它在全世界排名第四，僅次於它長久以來的好朋友，馬鈴薯泥。

Another piece of British propaganda that I can't really get into, but Google potato peat.

另一項英國的宣傳手法，我真的沒辦法多說，但大家可以去 Google 馬鈴薯泥。

Speaking of delicious carrots, this video is presented by a delicious yogurt, Stony Field Organic.

說到美味的胡蘿蔔，這支影片是由美味的優格 Stony Field Organic 所贊助的。

For over 40 years, Stony Field Organic has been a champion for truth in our food system.

Stony Field Organic 四十多年來，一直是我們食品系統真相的倡導者。

There's a lot of misinformation out there.

That's why they believe in high-quality ingredients to ensure that what they put on shelves is the best product for you and your family.

這就是為什麼他們相信高品質的原料，確保他們上架的產品是您和您家人最好的選擇。

The milk they use comes from family farms across the country, like Mollybrook Farm in Cabot, Vermont.

他們使用的牛奶來自全國各地的家庭農場，像是佛蒙特州卡伯特鎮的 Mollybrook Farm。

It's USDA organic certified, which means no pesticides, no antibiotics, and no growth hormones.

這是美國農業部有機認證，代表沒有農藥、沒有抗生素、也沒有生長激素。

So when you're on your next grocery run, consider checking out Stony Field Organic yogurt.

所以下次去採購時，不妨考慮看看 Stony Field Organic 優格。

It's also important to note that Stony Field Organic didn't dictate the content of the story,

還有很重要的一點是，Stony Field Organic 並沒有干涉這個故事的內容，

but their support made this tasty reporting possible.

但他們的贊助讓這些美味的報導得以實現。

I've heard all kinds of interesting myths,

and the interesting thing about myths that last a long time is there is a particle of truth to it.

而關於流傳已久的迷思，有趣的地方在於，裡面總是有一點點真實性。

Yes, we do need vitamin A and other things, carotenoids, to see better, to actually see.

沒錯，我們確實需要維生素A和其他類胡蘿蔔素，來幫助我們看清楚東西。

I'm not sure they actually make it better as much as they keep it from going blind if you don't have vitamin A.

我不確定它們真的能讓視力變好，但如果你缺乏維生素A，它們可以防止你失明。

So it's not so much that carrots can help you see better, but

所以，胡蘿蔔並不是讓你視力變好，而是

people who don't get enough vitamin A do actually experience some negative effects to their eyesight.

那些缺乏足夠維生素A的人，視力確實會受到一些負面影響。

They stop being able to see at night, and over time they lose even daytime vision.

他們晚上會看不見，久而久之，白天視力也會受損。

The vast majority of us get enough vitamins if you're eating a normal, healthy diet.

只要飲食正常健康，我們絕大多數人都能攝取到足夠的維生素。

And the things that are best for your eye health might have nothing to do with your diet at all.

而對眼睛健康最好的事物，可能跟飲食一點關係都沒有。

Multiple pieces of data have shown us that people who look at phones a lot, which is 100% of the population at this point, end up getting myopia over time.

許多研究數據顯示，那些經常滑手機的人，現在幾乎是所有人，長期下來都會得到近視。

Data shows this very clearly, which is to get about an hour of sunlight during high sun times.

數據非常清楚地顯示，那就是在高日晒時段，每天晒大約一小時的太陽。

Not look at the sun, just be outside and not look at any near target.

不是看太陽，只是在戶外，不要看任何近距離的目標。

So if you grew up believing that carrots were good for your eyesight or could even make you see in the dark, then you fell for World War II British propaganda.

所以如果你一直相信胡蘿蔔對你的視力有益，甚至能讓你夜間視物，那你就是中了第二次世界大戰英國的宣傳。

But that might not be such a bad thing, because carrots really are good for you.

但這也許不是壞事，因為胡蘿蔔確實對你有益。

And in that sense, maybe Doctor Carrot was onto something.

從這個角度來看，也許「胡蘿蔔博士」有點道理。

If you're not already a member, head over to patreon.com/vox, where we're doing really cool stuff like chats with our reporters and where Dolly just did a taste test of all the different bananas she found in her last video.

如果你還不是會員，請到 patreon.com/vox，我們在那裡做很多很棒的事，像是和我們的記者哈拉，Dolly 最近也在她上個影片裡做了各種香蕉的試吃。

It's so important to support independent journalism.

Your membership allows us to keep making videos like this, allows us to have fun and research really cool, weird stories,

你的會員資格讓我們能繼續製作像這樣的影片，讓我們能開心研究很酷、很奇怪的故事，

but also really dig into the investigative reporting.

And if it doesn't make financial sense for you to support us today, you can still follow us on Patreon for free and stay up to date with all the great reporting going on at Vox.

如果今天贊助我們對你來說在財務上不太划算，你還是可以免費追蹤我們在 Patreon 上的內容，隨時掌握 Vox 的所有精彩報導。

我們可以從那裡拿個提詞機嗎？

Really good eyesight from all the carrots.

吃這麼多胡蘿蔔，視力一定很好。