Lycopene is a red pigment antioxidant found in red colored fruits and vegetables such as tomato, watermelon and grapefruit. Some population studies suggest people who eat a diet rich in lycopene may be at a lower risk for developing certain cancers and heart disease. While lycopene is a powerful antioxidant and can prevent disease in research laboratory animals, more work needs to be done to conclude that lycopene on its own has benefits for human health.
Lycopene is a Powerful Antioxidant
Lycopene has a number of chemical properties that potentially make it an effective anticancer agent. A review article in the "Journal of the American College of Nutrition" summarizes the potential role of lycopene in preventing disease. Most notably, lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that can reduce oxidative damage to cells, a root cause of many cancers. Oxidation is also thought to contribute to the buildup of bad LDL cholesterol in the arteries and the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. Laboratory studies suggest that as an antioxidant, lycopene may also help to reduce LDL cholesterol and prevent heart disease. In addition to antioxidant properties, lycopene also has some more direct anticancer actions and may kill tumor cells directly.
Lycopene Alone May Not Prevent Disease
Lycopene itself has a number of disease-fighting properties in the laboratory, however, there is no clear evidence that lycopene alone can fight cancer and heart disease. The American Cancer Society explains that most of the studies that suggest lycopene can benefit the health of humans comes from observational studies of large populations that consume high levels of tomato products. Most studies described by the American Cancer Society conclude that diets rich in tomato products may reduce the risk of certain cancers and heart disease. While people who consume tomato products may have high levels of lycopene in their blood and a reduced incidence of disease, it remains to be determined if lycopene alone can benefit health.
Tomato Products Provide a Rich Source of Lycopene
While most lycopene in our diet comes from tomatoes, raw tomatoes alone are actually a relatively poor source of lycopene. For partly unknown reasons, lycopene is more plentiful in cooked and processed tomato products such as tomato paste, tomato sauce and tomato soup. It is most likely that the process of cooking and stewing tomatoes helps to release it from inside tomatoes and concentrate it. According to the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, 1 cup of tomato paste contains about 75 mg of lycopene wheras 1 cup of raw tomatoes has only about 5 mg of lycopene.
Lycopene Recommendations
Lycopene has strong antioxidant activity and shows some potential to lower the risk of heart disease and some cancers. Until more research is done specifically on lycopene supplements, it may be best to not rely solely on supplement for you lycopene; be sure to include red pigmented fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes and watermelon in your normal diet. If you do decide to take lycopene supplements, consult your physician as to whether or not they may actually benefit any of your specific health concerns.
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