Lycopene & the Heart

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that more than 1 of every 4 deaths in the United States is caused by heart disease, making this condition the leading cause of death in the country. In the early 1990s, scientists demonstrated that oxidative tissue damage is a major contributor to many chronic diseases, including coronary heart disease. They also showed that antioxidants, such as vitamin C, tocopherols and carotenoids, could mitigate much of this damage.

Atherosclerosis

The hallmark of coronary heart disease is atherosclerotic plaque. This plaque is initiated when oxidized low-density lipoprotein particles are taken up by specialized white cells in the lining of your arteries, leading to the development of "foam cells" that generate an ongoing cycle of inflammation, further oxidative damage and plaque progression. Interrupting this inflammatory cycle is one key to halting atherosclerosis and preventing coronary heart disease. Dietary carotenoids play a role in ameliorating the oxidative processes that trigger plaque formation.

Lycopene

Lycopene is a bright-red carotenoid found in tomatoes, watermelons, pink grapefruits and some mushrooms. In plants, carotenoids act as light-absorbing pigments that help to trap the sun's solar energy and convert it to chemical energy. When you consume carotenoids, they exert antioxidant effects on your cells and tissues. A November 2002 "Experimental Biology and Medicine" review states that lycopene is the most potent singlet oxygen quencher -- one measure of antioxidant capacity -- among the natural carotenoids.

Lycopene and the Heart

Some studies have shown that lycopene can prevent the oxidation of LDL -- an important step in prevention of coronary heart disease -- but most of lycopene's cardiac benefits have been demonstrated in populations who consume high quantities of lycopene-rich foods on a regular basis. One such epidemiologic study, published in the October 1997 issue of "American Journal of Epidemiology," demonstrated a strong protective effect against heart disease in people who consumed large amounts of lycopene and who had high levels of the carotenoid in their tissues.

Recommendation

Consuming foods rich in lycopene may confer benefits you cannot derive from taking lycopene alone, as some of the strongest data supporting lycopene's cardiac benefits have been gleaned from populations who regularly eat such foods. Clinical studies designed to evaluate lycopene's effects on heart disease have used doses ranging from 20 to 150 mg daily, but researchers have not determined the optimal dose of lycopene.