Lycopene Value-Added Nutraceutical from Tomatoes
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Lycopene -- A
Promising High Value-Added Disclaimer: All material provided on this web site is provided for educational purposes only. Consult your own physician regarding the applicability of any opinions or recommendations with respect to your symptoms or medical condition. Tomato is an important agricultural commodity worldwide. More than 80% of processing tomatoes produced are consumed in the form of processed products such as tomato juice, paste, puree, catsup, sauce, and salsa. Tomato color is mainly due to lycopene which is the tomato major carotenoid and represents about 80-90% of total pigments. Lycopene is responsible for the characteristic deep-red color of ripe tomato fruits and tomato products. Among the various fruits and vegetables, tomato is the richest source of lycopene. Recently there has been a growing interest in investigating the ability of lycopene to act as a cancer-preventative agent. The ability of lycopene to function as an antioxidant may contribute to a reduction in disease risk. Increasing clinical evidence supports lycopene's role as an important micronutrient, since it appears to provide protection against cancers such as prostate cancer, cervical cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, and coronary heart disease, and a broad range of epithelial cancers. What is lycopene? Lycopene is one of a family of pigments called carotenoids, which occur naturally in fruits and vegetables. Numerous studies suggest that lycopene may actively inhibit the development of prostate, digestive tract, breast, lung and cervical cancer as well as cardiovascular disease and age-related macular degeneration - the most common form of blindness for elderly people in the western world. Lycopene, are internal bodyguards that protect human cells from free radicals * highly reactive oxidized molecules that damage the body's cell membranes and attack the DNA. The degenerative effect of free radicals, also known as "oxidative stress," is a main culprit of heart disease, cancer and aging. Free radicals can also oxidize LDL and promote blockages in the arteries. Other damaging effects of free radicals include join deterioration and nervous system degradation. Does it prevent cancer? Cancer risk is determined by many factors, however diet is an important one. The importance of eating fresh and processed fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy diet has been well recognized for some time. Tomatoes and tomato products, proven to be rich in lycopene - a powerful anti-oxidant that picks up free radicals in the body - can play a key role in that process. How does it work? Lycopene is an anti-oxidant that once absorbed by the body, helps to prevent and repair damaged cells. Anti-oxidants are compounds that fight free radicals in the body and have been shown to inhibit DNA oxidation that can lead to some cancers. How can I get more lycopene? The human body does not produce lycopene, but it's readily available through the diet. Minor sources include guava, rosehip, watermelon and pink grapefruit, but about 85% of dietary lycopene comes from tomatoes and tomato products such as juice, soup, sauce, paste and ketchup. Research confirms that lycopene from tomatoes is absorbed much better into the bloodstream if it is first processed. What kind of benefits can I get from lycopene? As lycopene levels in the blood increase, the levels of oxidized compounds decrease. Growing medical evidence attributes high intake of lycopene-rich tomato products with reduced risk of cancers of the lung, breast, prostate, cervix and digestive tract. For instance, eating tomato products regularly has been found to decrease the risk of cancer of the digestive tract among Italians. Lycopene may also help to prevent macular degenerative disease, the leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 65. What proof is available that lycopene has these benefits? In recent years, a number of studies have indicated that a lycopene-rich diet lowers the risk of certain chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease. As lycopene levels in the blood go up, the levels of oxidized lipoprotein, protein and DNA compounds go down. This, in turn, helps to lower the risk of cancer and heart disease. A study of 48,000 men by Harvard Medical School estimated that consuming tomato products twice a week, as opposed to never, was associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer of up to 34%. Of 46 fruits and vegetables evaluated, only tomato products showed a measurable relationship with reduced prostate cancer risk. Research conducted into breast, lung and endometrial cancer at Ben Gurion University and Soroka Medical Center in Israel shows that lycopene is even more effective than its á- and â-carotene, in causing a delay in the cell cycle progression from one growth phase to the next. Another study, conducted by the University of North Carolina, compared fat samples from 1,379 American and European men who had suffered a heart attack with those of healthy men. It found that those with high levels of lycopene were half as likely to have an attack as those with low levels. Lycopene helps reduce the size of malignant tumors A new study conducted by Dr. Omer Kucuk, Professor of Medicine and Oncology at Wayne State University in Michigan, and the Karmanos Cancer Institute, assumes that a lycopene-rich diet deliver benefits that might help prevent prostate cancer, the leading form of cancer among North American Men. This research aimed at evaluating the effects of lycopene on patients with prostate cancer. Dr. Kucuk's study involved 30 men with prostate cancer scheduled for surgical removal of the prostate. During three-week period prior to surgery, participants were randomly selected to receive 15 milligrams of lycopene (pure tomato extract) twice daily. Following surgery, the tissues were analyzed to determine any differences between the two groups. Dr. Kucuk's study showed that tumors in the group of patients who were treated daily with lycopene were smaller that those who did not receive any treatment. It also showed that serum levels of PSA decreased on patients who consumed lycopene. In addition, tumors in these patients showed regression and decreased malignancy, suggesting that lycopene may not only help prevent, but also assist in treating prostate cancer. Lycopene inhibits genetic damage The results of another in vitro study conducted by Dr. Frederick Khachik at the University of Maryland have suggested that lycopene and its metabolite found in tomatoes and tomato-based food products can serve a chemopreventive agents in the prevention of cancer. In this study, which has revealed several mechanisms of chemoprevention by carotenoids, lycopene has been shown to possess excellent anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. Mechanistic studies have also revealed that a metabolite of lycopene found in tomato products and in human serum can inhibit genetic damage more effectively that lycopene by increasing the expression of gap junctional communication proteins. Processed tomato products help reduce risk of cancer and heart disease Foods made from processed tomatoes - such as tomato ketchup, tomato soup and tomato juice - are being hailed for their role in reducing the risk of cancer and heart disease. More and more evidence is emerging for the health benefits of lycopene, a dietary carotenoid found in high concentrations in processed tomato products. Lycopene is a natural pigment which gives tomatoes their red colour. Although present in fresh tomatoes, lycopene is much more efficiently absorbed in to the bloodstream when the tomatoes have been processed. Like its better known cousin beta-carotene, lycopene is an anti-oxidant. Anti-oxidants are compounds which fight cell-damaging free radicals in the bloodstream and are therefore associated with reduced disease risk. Already two major epidemiological studies suggest that a lycopene-rich diet delivers benefits in terms of heart disease and prostate cancer risk reduction. A six year study of 48,000 male health professionals conducted by Harvard Medical School found that consuming tomato products more than twice a week, as opposed to never, was associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer of up to 34 per cent. Meanwhile, another study conducted by the University of North Carolina compared 1,379 American and European men who had suffered a heart attack with the same number of healthy men found that those with high levels of lycopene appeared to be protected against the disease with about half the risk. There is also a hypothesis that lycopene may halt the onset of macular degeneration disease which is the major cause of blindness in people over 65. All the evidence suggests that lycopene is a significantly more powerful anti-oxidant than â-carotene. Research conducted into breast, lung and endometrial cancer, by Drs. Yaov Sharoni, Joseph Levy in Ben Gurion University and Soroka Medical Center shows that lycopene is even more effective than á- or â-carotene in causing a delay in the cell cycle progression from one growth phase to the next. Lycopene is not produced by the body at all but its benefits can be obtained through the diet. Lycopene is much better absorbed into the bloodstream when the tomatoes have been processed into ketchup, soup, juice, sauces and other products. Lycopene in tomatoes is converted by the temperature changes involved in processing. The chemical conversion allows the body to absorb it more easily. Research confirms tomato juice protects against arteriosclerosis and coronary heart disease Lycopene is a very effective anti-oxidant in the fight against LDL cholesterol oxidation and its associated health risks. The tissue and serum levels of lycopene are inversely related to the risk of developing coronary heart disease.
Lycopene. We've been touting this nutrient (the stuff that makes tomatoes red) for years now, and we're not about to stop. Why? Because a mountain of research suggests that taking in an average of 15 milligrams (mg) of lycopene daily-as little as two to four servings of tomato sauce per week-can cut your risk of prostate cancer by up to 34 percent. Add some carrots to the sauce while you're at it; USDA researchers report that beta-carotene in the mix boosts lycopene absorption.
Lycopenes: In a six-year study involving 47,894 men, Giovannucci, et al showed lycopene rich foods to significantly lower the risk of prostate cancer. Men who ingested 10 or more servings of tomatoes in several forms (sauce, juice, raw or on pizza) had a 41% reduction in prostate cancer while those who ate four to seven servings per week had a 22% reduction. Tomatoes and tomato sauce contain high amounts of lycopene, a carotenoid. Lycopene is the most predominant carotenoid in plasma, in various tissues including the prostate gland. Lycopene is the most efficient scavenger of singlet oxygen among the common carotenoids. Lycopene is not converted to Vitamin A. The major contributors to the specific carotenoids are shown below
The
only other food associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer was
strawberries. Men who consumed at least one serving (0.5 cup) of strawberries
a day had a significantly decreased risk of prostate cancer. The compound giving
the red color to strawberries is not in the lycopene family. 
Prostate cancer and lycopene Cancer Epidemiology,
Biomarkers & Prevention, Vol. 10, August 2001, pp. 861-68 [72 references] The study included
26 men with clinically localized prostate cancer who were scheduled to undergo
radical prostatectomy (removal of the prostate gland). The men were randomized
into a control group and an intervention group. The intervention group received
one 15-mg lycopene capsule with breakfast and dinner for three weeks prior to
surgery. Blood samples were taken before the start of supplementation and three
weeks later just before surgery. The removed tumors and surrounding tissue were
examined by pathologists. The level of the
tumor suppressing protein Cx43 in the malignant part of the tumor was found to
be substantially higher in the lycopene group. It was also apparent that tumors
tended to be smaller and more sharply defined (less encroachment into
surrounding healthy tissue) in the lycopene group. No adverse effects of the
lycopene supplementation were reported by the patients or their physicians. The
researchers conclude that lycopene is likely to be beneficial for both
prevention and treatment of prostate cancer, but urge larger trials to confirm
this. Lycopene and cancer Agarwal, Sanjiv and
Rao, AV. Tomato lycopene and its role in human health and chronic diseases.
Canadian Medical Association Journal, Vol. 163, September 19, 2000, pp. 739-44
[70 references] A more recent study
found that supplementation with a tomato extract significantly lowered the level
of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in patients with prostate cancer. High tissue
(adipose) levels of lycopene have also been found to be protective against heart
attacks. No published studies have shown any adverse effects of high lycopene
levels or a high intake of tomato products. It has been hypothesized that
lycopene prevents cancer and heart disease by protecting lipids, lipoproteins
(especially low-density lipoprotein), proteins, and DNA. There is also evidence
that lycopene counteracts the proliferation of cancer cells induced by
insulin-like growth factors. |
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