Lycopene is one of the common carotenoids and the main pigment in ripe tomatoes. It is also found in fruits such as watermelon and grapefruit.
In 1989, it was discovered that among all carotenoids, lycopene has the highest quenching activity for singlet oxygen.
Subsequently, the functional research on lycopene has gradually increased. At present, lycopene is not only widely used as a colorant, but also increasingly used in functional foods, medicines and cosmetics.
Based on the evidence that lycopene lowers blood pressure and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, the specific recommended value of lycopene is 15 mg per day, and the maximum tolerable intake is 70 mg per day (mainly obtained from food, with nutritional extracts as supplements).
Lycopene penetrates into chylomicrons in the intestine, enters the blood through the lymphatic circulation, and binds to low-density lipoprotein in the plasma. The lack of bile and pancreatic enzymes will affect the absorption of lycopene. Heat-treated lycopene is easier to absorb than unprocessed lycopene (suggesting that we can get more lycopene by eating cooked tomatoes).
Lycopene is mainly distributed in the testicles and adrenal glands, liver, adipose tissue, prostate and ovaries in the human body. There is no lycopene in brain tissue, suggesting that lycopene may not be able to pass through the blood-brain barrier
The molecular structure of lycopene is rich in unsaturated double bonds, and it has shown good antioxidant effects in in vitro free radical scavenging experiments and in vitro cell experiments.
It also has the effect of increasing antioxidant enzyme activity and reducing lipid peroxide production in animal experiments
In human studies using serum antioxidant levels and lipid oxidation as observation indicators, the enhancing effect of lycopene on the body's antioxidant stress capacity is not completely consistent, but it suggests that it has a certain effect on reducing lipid oxidation products.
There are also research results showing that supplementing lycopene has a certain effect on preventing the occurrence and development of cardiovascular diseases. Intervention studies based on lycopene products have found that it has a certain improvement effect on blood pressure, especially lowering systolic blood pressure, blood lipids, and lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and total triglycerides.
Some large-scale prospective studies in Europe and the United States have found that the level of lycopene in the body is negatively correlated with the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The mechanism by which lycopene reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease may involve its antioxidant effects on biomacromolecules in the body, such as DNA proteins and lipids, and its regulatory effects on inflammatory factors, including reducing the level of C-reactive protein in serum, inhibiting the production of nitric oxide and the release of interleukin VI, etc.
There are many studies on the association between lycopene and the occurrence and development of prostate cancer. In 1989, a study of the health cohort of American church personnel showed that the occurrence of prostate cancer was negatively correlated with tomato intake.
Most of the population epidemiological studies published in the long term thereafter support the protective mechanism of lycopene intake on prostate cancer, especially progressive prostate cancer.
It may be related to the effects of reducing the antioxidant effect of prostate-specific antigen and regulating inflammatory factors. Lycopene can enhance the activity of T lymphocytes, has a significant promoting effect on nonspecific cellular immunity, protects the skin from ultraviolet damage, and has a certain alleviating effect on oral submucosal fibrosis.
To summarize:
1. Eating more tomatoes can be anti-inflammatory, especially for progressive prostate cancer
2. Cook tomatoes and eat them to get more lycopene
3. Supplement lycopene extract, do not exceed 70 mg per day.
This article was independently created and published by Herbfields.net.