 | |
|
|
»
Lycopene in Tomatoes Wards Off Disease
| Back |
Studies have suggested that people who consume more tomatoes and tomato products are at a lower risk of developing cancer and other chronic diseases. Studies also implicated lycopene as responsible for the beneficial effects of tomatoes. When ingested into the blood stream, lycopene has a significant dampening effect on "oxidative stress," a main culprit in heart disease, cancer and aging.
Highly reactive oxidized molecules - molecules with oxygen chemically bound to them - can tear through the body's cell membranes and attack the chromosomes within. Laboratory studies have found lycopene to be the most potent antioxidant to prevent oxidation damage of the chromosomes, which in effect, protects against coronary heart disease and cancer.
Where tomato and tomato-based products fit in
In order for lycopene to act as an antioxidant in the human system, it has to be absorbed. Lycopene from heat-processed tomato juice is absorbed more easily than unprocessed juice. Lycopene in unprocessed juice is present in trans form, which is not easily absorbed by the body. It was found that heating tomato juice in the presence of corn oil for one hour converts lycopene from trans to cis form, thereby increasing its absorption by the body.
In a randomized trial, subjects maintained on low-carotenoid diet ingested either 40 grams of tomato paste (23 mg of lycopene) or 400 grams of tomatoes (22 mg of lycopene) combined with corn oil and bread. Lycopene levels in the blood were found to be two and a half times greater after ingestion of tomato paste than after fresh tomatoes. When lycopene was given along with beta-carotene (combined dose), the absorption of lycopene was improved, but the absorption of beta-carotene was not affected.
In a randomized, crossover study involving healthy human subjects, dietary supplementation of lycopene from traditional tomato products including tomato juice and spaghetti sauce, ingested for a period of one week, increased lycopene concentrations and reduced oxidative damage to lipids, proteins and DNA. The consumption levels of tomato products used in this study were about one to two servings per day -- easily achievable, in keeping with the current dietary recommendations pertaining to healthy eating. Since cancer and chronic diseases may be related to increased oxidative stress, a diet that reduces oxidative stress will be beneficial in managing chronic diseases. However, future long-term studies in healthy, as well as at- risk subjects, will provide further insight into the role of dietary lycopene in the prevention of chronic diseases.
Source: H J Heinz Corp., www.heinz.com
|
|
»
»
»
»
»
»
»
»
|
|