Lycopene, found in fruits and vegetables like tomato juice, grapefruit, and watermelon, offers benefits such as neutralizing free radicals in heart disease, breaking down LDL cholesterol, improving skin health, reducing cancer, reducing symptoms of macular degeneration, and being safe to consume.
Lycopene is an antioxidant that exists in various fruits and vegetables. Examples of foods that contain lycopene are tomato juice, tomato sauce, canned tomatoes, pink grapefruit, guava, papaya, and watermelon. The benefits of lycopene have to do with the impact that lycopene has on the body. For example, lycopene benefits the body because it helps neutralize free radicals in heart disease, helps break down LDL cholesterol, improves skin health, helps reduce cancer, helps reduce symptoms of macular degeneration, and it is safe and non-toxic to consume.
Free radicals are necessary for energy metabolism and the functioning of the immune system. If there are excessive free radicals present inside the body, the excessive free radicals attack healthy cells, particularly membrane proteins and lipids, and this leads to various diseases. One of the benefits of lycopene is that it helps neutralize free radicals involved in heart disease.
Another of the benefits of lycopene is that it breaks down low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, which in turn reduces the likelihood of heart disease. Usually, people with high cholesterol levels do not have enough liver enzymes to break down LDL cholesterol. Lycopene benefits such people because it can help break down LDL cholesterol.
Improved skin health is one benefit that lycopene offers. For example, people are often exposed to the sun’s UV rays on a daily basis. In addition, skin cells are exposed to radiation from the sun, from various types of pollution, and from some types of appliances that are used on a daily basis. As people age this affects the skin and age spots can appear. Lycopene benefits the skin by limiting the damage caused by UV rays and radiation.
Its anti-cancer properties are one benefit that lycopene can offer. For example, doctors discovered that tomatoes can stop the growth of tumor cells in the breast and prevent the spread of tumors. In addition, researchers have found that lycopene helps prevent cervical, stomach, and skin cancer.
Reducing the symptoms of macular degeneration is an additional benefit of lycopene. For example, there was a study that showed that people who had lower levels of lycopene in their bodies were more likely to experience age-related macular degeneration. Additionally, other studies have indicated that consumption of foods containing lycopene is highly correlated with reduced incidence of macular degeneration.
Another benefit of lycopene is that it is reportedly non-toxic and safe. Usually, people can consume lycopene without experiencing negative side effects. If people eat foods with lycopene or if they take lycopene in supplement form, it is considered safe.
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