Lycopene is a natural pigment that is produced by plants and microorganisms. Tomatoes are considered the richest food sources of lycopene, but it is also found in apricots, pink grapefruit, guava, rose hips and watermelon. Lycopene can be taken in supplemental form, but you should consult your health care practitioner before supplementing with lycopene.
Anti-oxidant Benefits
Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that attack your cells and DNA, destroying the healthy cells in your body or causing them to malfunction. Due to the cellular damage that they cause, free radicals are thought to accelerate aging and contribute to a number of degenerative disorders and diseases. Anti-oxidants, such as lycopene, work as free-radical scavengers, preventing them from causing damage in your body. Lycopene's potent and specific anti-oxidant properties are thought to be responsible for its numerous health benefits.
List of Purported Benefits
According to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, lycopene may help to prevent and treat heart disease and macular degeneration. It may also treat asthma and protect against exercise-induced asthma attacks. In addition, lycopene may help treat benign prostatic hyperplasia, a men's disorder characterized by an enlarged prostate and consequent trouble with urination. More research needs to be done to confirm the lycopene's efficacy for the prevention and treatment of these conditions.
Prevention and Treatment of Cancer
Preliminary research suggests that lycopene is beneficial for the treatment of cancer. In addition, a high blood level of lycopene has been associated with a reduced risk for cancer, likely due in part to lycopene's ability to prevent cellular damage. A study cited in the February 1999 issue of "Journal of the National Cancer Institute" found that a higher intake of lycopene, in the form of tomato-based products, was correlated with a reduced risk for a number of cancers. The study found that a high intake of tomato products was especially beneficial at reducing the risks for prostate, lung and stomach cancers, but it also lowered the risks for pancreas, colon, rectum, esophagus, oral, breast and cervical cancers. The study theorized that the anti-cancer effect was due to the lycopene in tomatoes, but more research needs to be done to confirm this theory.
Precautions
There are no reported adverse side effects or drug interactions from the consumption of lycopene, whether from food or from supplements. High intakes of lycopene over an extended period of time may cause lycopenodermia, a condition characterized by a deep orange discoloration of the skin. Fortunately, this condition usually disappears upon cessation of high doses of lycopene.
References
- "Prescription for Nutritional Healing"; Phyllis Balch; 2003
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center: Lycopene
- "Journal of the National Cancer Institute"; Tomatoes, Tomato-Based Products, Lycopene, and Cancer: Review of the Epidemiologic Literature; Edward Giovannucci; 1999
- "Devita, Hellman & Rosenberg's Cancer: Principles & Practice of Oncology"; Vincent T. DeVita; 2008
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