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by Source: Life Extension
August 1, 1999
Beta carotene from carrots is known for its antioxidant action. But did you know that there are over 600 known carotenoids besides beta? About 40 are found in the human diet, and not all of them turn into vitamin A. Lycopene is one that does not convert to vitamin A. Lycopene provides stronger antioxidant protection against certain types of free radicals, and may, protect against certain types of cancer better than any nutrient presently known. The carotenoid lycopene makes up about half the carotenes in human sera, yet very little research has been done on it. The few studies that have been conducted look so promising, however, that a symposium was devoted to lycopene in 1998.
Lycopene is what gives tomatoes, watermelons, grapefruits and papaya their red color. A pigment synthesized by some plants and animals to protect them from the sun, lycopene evolved as a weapon against certain types of free radicals. Lycopene is so effective at quenching free radicals, it beat out vitamin E in one study on oxidized fat. This suggests that lycopene might have importance in preventing heart disease, which involves oxidized LDL cholesterol.
The first evidence for a protective effect in heart disease was reported in the journal Lipids. A group from Canada demonstrated that lycopene significantly lowers LDL oxidation in human blood. What's interesting is that lycopene works better in combination with lutein, another carotenoid which is found mostly in spinach and corn. (Lutein is associated with maintenance of the macula.) People with high cholesterol have been found to have high levels of free radicals and low levels of lycopene and beta carotene.
Humans get most of their lycopene from tomatoes--by far the richest source-yet tomato products offer a more concentrated source of lycopene than the fresh fruit itself. For example, tomato powder contains approximately 120 milligrams per 100 grams of fruit whereas fresh tomatoes have about 2 milligrams per 100. Since lycopene is a nutrient that can stand the heat, cooked tomato products, such as tomato paste, provide more of it than fresh tomatoes. Spaghetti sauce is an adequate source of lycopene because it contains fat, which is necessary for absorption. It has been theorized that heating tomatoes makes their lycopene more absorbable.
From the Journal of the National Cancer Institute: Tomatoes Linked With Lower Cancer Risk
The evidence is piling up that a high consumption of tomatoes or tomato- based products may be associated with a lower cancer risk. Almost 50% of studies reviewed by a team of researchers found such an association, and none found that a high tomato consumption increases cancer risk, according to a report in the February 17th issue in the Journal. "The evidence for a benefit was strongest for cancers of the prostate, lung and stomach," according to Dr. Edward Giovannucci, of the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. "Data were also suggestive of a benefit for cancers of the pancreas, colon and rectum, esophagus, oral cavity, breast and cervix." Of the 72 studies, 35 showed a link between increased tomato intake and lower cancer risk-usually a 40% reduction in risk. The studies compared the diets of cancer patients to healthy people the same age. An antioxidant found in tomatoes, lycopene, may be responsible for the cancer risk reduction. "Numerous other potentially beneficial compounds are present in tomatoes, and conceivably, complex interactions among multiple components may contribute to the anticancer properties of tomatoes," according to the report.
SOURCE: Reprinted with permission from Life Extension, August 1999.
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