"Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease" describes lycopene as belonging to the family of substances in fruits and vegetables called carotenoids. Carotenoids produce the color in fruits and vegetables such as the yellow in squash, the orange in carrots and the red in tomatoes. Tomatoes and tomato products are humans' primary source of lycopene. Guava, watermelon, pink grapefruit, apricots, papaya and red chilies contain less significant amounts of lycopene.
Lycopene in the Body
Carotenoids, including lycopene, come from plants. Humans require the plant source to obtain these chemicals. Lycopene represents only one of the 600 known carotenoids. Lycopene concentrates in the liver, lungs, prostate gland, adrenal gland, colon and skin and represents the highest level of carotenoids in body tissues, according to Florida State University. Lycopene must be consumed to increase the levels in the body.
Antioxidant Properties and Lycopene
Medline Plus describes antioxidants as nutrients in the body that protect the cells against harm from free radical particles. Free radicals develop during the breakdown of food in the body and from environmental sources such as exposure to radon. Scientific evidence describes an association between lycopene and antioxidant properties. Researchers report the antioxidant capacity to be more than twice that of other carotenoids.
Cancer and Lycopenes
According to "Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition," antioxidant nutrients prevent the development of cancer. A 2002 article in the "American Journal of Medicine" describes epidemiologic studies that indicate diets high in lycopene protect against cancers. The types of cancer include such conditions as prostate, cervix, mouth and esophagus, stomach, colon and rectal cancer. Oxidative stress is believed to cause a rise in substances generating cancer in the body. Lycopene appears to block the oxidative damage to DNA, lipids and lipoproteins and prevent cancer.
Cardiovascular Disease and Lycopenes
The "American Journal of Medicine" describes the protective effect of lycopene on the cardiovascular system. Lycopene appears to lower cholesterol by breaking down low-density lipoproteins. Individuals consuming high amounts of tomatoes exhibit fewer heart attacks. Numerous epidemiologic studies reveal the protective role of lycopene in cardiovascular disease.
Blood Pressure and Lycopene
A 2010 article in "International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition" reports the positive effect of decreasing blood pressure from consuming a diet high in tomatoes. Oxidative stress occurs in hypertension with a decrease in antioxidant defenses. Lycopene elevates antioxidants in the body and brings blood pressure into a normal range.
References
- "Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease"; Vitamin A and Carotenoids; M. E. Shils, MD, ScD, et al.; 2006
- Florida State University: Lycopene
- Medline Plus: Antioxidants
- "Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition"; The Effect of Industrial Food Processing on Potentially Health-Beneficial Tomato Antioxidants; E Capanoglu et al.; 2010
- "American Journal of Medicine"; Bioactive Compounds in Foods; P. M. Kris-Etherton, PhD, RD, et al.; 2002
- "International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition"; The Effects of Tomato Consumption; F. Shidfar et al.; 2010
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