What is Lycopene
Lycopene is a type of organic pigment called a carotenoid. It is related to beta-carotene and gives some vegetables and fruits (e.g., tomatoes) a red color.
Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that might help protect cells from damage. It's found in tomato, watermelon, red orange, pink grapefruit, apricot, rose hip, and guava.
The human body cannot synthesize lycopene on its own and must obtain it through diet.
What is Lycopene Good for?
Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant with many health benefits, including sun protection, improved heart health.
Where is Lycopene Found in?
Lycopene, a naturally occurring red carotenoid pigment found in tomatoes, pink grapefruit, watermelon, papaya, guava, and other fruits, has been extensively studied for more than 70 years, with more than 2000 articles published in peer-reviewed journals and 4000 other publications (scientific and otherwise) written on the subject. Most of these articles have focused on lycopene derived from tomatoes.
What are The Benefits of Lycopene?
One of the biggest benefits of lycopene is that it is an antioxidant and protects the body of damage from free radical stress, which can hurt DNA and other cell structures.
The antioxidant properties help balance free radical activity in the body and in doing so, may offer protection against certain diseases, keep bones strong and healthy, and help eyesight by helping delay or prevent cataracts, macular degeneration, and other age-related eye disorders.
Heart Health
Research published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that in addition to its antioxidant properties, lycopene may have the ability to reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol while increasing HDL (good) cholesterol levels.1
There may also be a connection to those who have higher amounts of lycopene in their tissues and a lower risk of heart attack, blocked or clogged arteries, lower blood pressure, and other cardiovascular diseases.
Other Health Benefits
A study published in the journal Neurology found that lycopene may help prevent strokes, particularly strokes caused by blood clots.2 Researchers think this is due to the fact that lycopene improves cholesterol levels in addition to reducing inflammation, two factors that can contribute to a stroke.
Lycopene along with other carotenoids may also protect against UV damage caused by the sun. It's important to note, however, that lycopene does not (and should not) substitute as a replacement for SPF.
Mechanism of Action of Lycopene
Lycopene is a fat-soluble pigment. This means that the body absorbs it most effectively when consumed with healthy fats. Unlike some other carotenoids, the body doesn't convert lycopene into vitamin A; instead, it retains its original form to combat free radicals.
Free radicals are unstable molecules that can damage DNA and cell membranes. Over time, this damage can lead to chronic diseases.
Chemically speaking, lycopene contains a long chain of carbon atoms with multiple double bonds. These double bonds help it neutralize harmful molecules called free radicals. This structure makes lycopene play a crucial role in protecting cells from oxidative stress.
What is Lycopene Used for in The Body?
Lycopene powder has antioxidant activity in the body and is involved in several chemical reactions on a cellular level. Because of this, researchers suspect that lycopene may be helpful in a number of health conditions.
- Asthma: In one small study, participants who had received 30 mg per day of lycopene for one week had improved exercise-induced asthma.
- Cardiovascular disease: One review of studies found that higher lycopene consumption was associated with a decreased risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.
- Macular degeneration: Macular degeneration is a type of central vision loss that can occur as someone ages. In a limited population, levels of carotenoids in the body have been found to have an inverse relationship with the likelihood of developing age-related macular degeneration.
What is Lycopene in Tomatoes?
Lycopene is the pigment principally responsible for the characteristic deep-red color of ripe tomato fruits and tomato products. It has attracted attention due to its biological and physicochemical properties, especially related to its effects as a natural antioxidant. Although it has no provitamin A activity, lycopene does exhibit a physical quenching rate constant with singlet oxygen almost twice as high as that of beta-carotene. This makes its presence in the diet of considerable interest. Increasing clinical evidence supports the role of lycopene as a micronutrient with important health benefits. Tomatoes and related tomato products are the major source of lycopene compounds, and are also considered an important source of carotenoids in the human diet.
What is Lycopene Used to Treat?
Lycopene suggested uses include for preventing atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, cataracts, asthma, antioxidant, and as an anti-inflammatory.
There is no association between lycopene and the risk of bladder. There are conflicting studies on use of lycopene for cardiovascular disease. More studies are needed to determine effectiveness. There is insufficient information about effectiveness of lycopene for atherosclerosis.
Lycopene Benefits for Men
1. Improved heart health
Lycopene rich foods like tomatoes and red cabbage might help might decrease the risk associated with panic attacks and stroke. The antioxidant properties of lycopene protects you by inhibiting the formation of blood clots, which is the primary reason behind strokes. As an added benefit, lycopene also has anti inflammatory effect on the blood vessels inside the brain, which acts as a protection against stroke. Additionally, the nutrient lycopene helps in maintaining a low blood pressure and prevents against coronary heart disease.
2. Keep your eyes healthy:
Lycopene protects your eyes from oxidative stress that causes common eye diseases, making it one of the strongest eye vitamins you can consume. Lycopene may even have the ability to prevent or delay cataracts to a certain extent. Lycopene also has a great effect on the chemical processes that lead to age-related macular degeneration which is the leading cause of blindness in the old age.
3. Keep your bones strong:
Vitamin K and calcium are not the only things that promote bone density. The nutrient lycopene helps in relieving oxidative stress in bones that cause brittle and weak bones. It slows the apoptosis (cell death) that weakens the bones and reinforces the cellular architecture of bones thereby keeping them healthy and strong.
Fresh vs Processed: Which Is Better?
Many people believe that fresh food always provides more nutrients. However, the absorption mechanism of lycopene is different. Processing tomatoes can actually increase the bioavailability of lycopene. Heating breaks down plant cell walls, releasing lycopene and making it easier for the body to absorb. Therefore, tomato sauce, tomato juice, and tomato paste generally contain more usable lycopene than raw tomatoes.
References
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-554/lycopene
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/lycopene
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3850026/
https://www.getroman.com/vitamins-supplements/lycopene/
https://www.rxlist.com/consumer_lycopene/drugs-condition.htm
https://www.ndtv.com/health/lycopene-this-powerful-antioxidant-offers-some-amazing-health-benefits-know-more-about-this-nutrient-1927330
