Lycopene, a carotenoid found in red fruits like tomatoes and watermelons, acts as an antioxidant and has been linked to preventing heart disease and various types of cancer. Tomatoes are the most common and powerful source of lycopene, and cooked tomato products are more concentrated and easily absorbed by the body. While global health regulatory agencies have not yet endorsed lycopene as a nutrient, many dietitians urge people to increase their intake through tomato-based dishes and supplements. No upper limits for lycopene have been established.
Lycopene is a carotenoid found in red fruits, such as tomatoes and watermelons. Carotenoids are natural pigments that act as antioxidants for the body. Antioxidants serve to lessen the effects of free radicals, blamed by some in the scientific community for damage to cells. Lycopene gets its name from the species classification of the tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum.
Numerous studies have shown that eating foods high in lycopene is beneficial in preventing heart disease and various types of cancer, including lung, prostate, cervical, digestive tract, and breast. Ongoing studies are looking at the effect in conditions such as macular degenerative disease and serum lipid oxidation.
Those who support those findings urge people to include lycopene in their diet for overall good health. Good sources are pink grapefruit, guava, watermelon, and rosehip, but the most common and perhaps the most powerful is tomato.
Tomatoes are full of lycopene. Fresh tomatoes are an excellent source, but cooked tomato products such as tomato and pizza sauce, tomato juice, tomato soup, and even ketchup are more concentrated. For example, a fresh tomato contains 3.7 mg, while 1 cup (236.5 ml) of tomato soup has 24.8 mg. Due to the form of lycopene in this type of cooked tomato product, the body can more easily absorb the chemical.
Not everyone has accepted the benefits of lycopene. Global health regulatory agencies have not yet endorsed it as a nutrient, but due to promising early research results, the health community is seriously looking at its role in the diet. Of course, most health professionals agree that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is part of a healthy lifestyle.
Many dietitians urge people to increase their lycopene intake by including tomato-based dishes several meals a week. People can increase their intake by serving fresh sliced tomatoes as an alternative garnish, adding tomatoes to salads and sandwiches, eating lycopene-rich berries for snacks and breakfast, and planning main courses that include baked tomato products.
Companies that produce dietary supplements offer lycopene in both tablets and soft gels; Some of these products are combined with other dietary compounds. People interested in increasing their intake can purchase these supplements at organic supermarkets, health food stores, or online at dietary supplement sites.
No upper limits for lycopene have been established. Participants in clinical studies received up to 6.5 mg per day without ill effects. To date, no incidents of overdose of this carotenoid have been reported.
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