Lycopene Articles
A Tomato A Day Keeps Heart
Disease Away?
Lycopene Research
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A Tomato A Day Keeps Heart Disease Away?
They're both round, red foods that are a traditional part of the American
cuisine, but recent research shows that tomatoes may do more to protect
our hearts than apples. The reason? Lycopene, a specific type of
antioxidant.
Antioxidants and Heart Health
Scientists believe that nutrients known as antioxidants help prevent
oxidation, a process that damages tissues throughout the body. Oxidation
can damage the interior lining of arteries, making them more susceptible to
plaque build-up, which can cause a blockage or clot leading to heart
attack or stroke. Oxidation also thickens the lining of arteries, a process
leading to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.
Some of the more well-known antioxidants include vitamins A, C and E as
well as phytochemicals, or compounds produced by plants to help protect
themselves from viruses, bacteria and fungi.
Lycopene and Tomatoes
Typically, phytochemicals are associated with the different colors found in fruits and
vegetables. Lycopene is prevalent in red-colored foods, namely tomatoes, watermelon, and guava.
Scientists have known for some time that lycopene acts as an antioxidant, and that higher levels of lycopene in the diet appear to decrease the risk of developing prostate cancer. New research shows an interesting link between lycopene and the development of atherosclerosis.
The Role of Lycopene in Heart Disease
A Finnish team studied 520 men and women age 45-69 and analyzed the relationship between their intake of lycopene and intima-media thickness of the common carotid artery wall, the major artery leading from the heart to the brain. Previous research has shown the relationship between increased intima-media thickness of the carotid artery and progression of atherosclerosis.
In this study, low lycopene intake was linked to an 18 percent increase in intima-media thickness in men, even when cholesterol, blood pressure and vitamin intake were taken into consideration. The researchers did not find this relationship in women, possibly because
women's bodies handle antioxidants in a different manner.
By Lynn Grieger, RD, CDE
Sources: Low Plasma Lycopene Concentration Is Associated With Increased Intima-Media Thickness of the Carotid Artery Wall. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology; 2000, Volume 20, pages 2677-81.
Relation of Intima-Media Thickness to Atherosclerotic Plaques in Carotid Arteries: The Vascular Aging (EVA) Study. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology; 1996, Volume 16, pages 310-316.
Lycopene Research
Source
IGFs and Cancer symposium, September 15-17 2000, Halle, Germany
Research
The family of nutrients to which beta carotene belongs was tested to see whether these nutrients could inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells.
Natural tomato lycopene suppresses IGF-1 stimulated tumor growth. IGF's (insulin-like growth factors) are secreted by the body and activate, then spur the growth of breast, endometrial and prostate tumors.
Results
Researchers discovered that it was not beta carotene but its cousin lycopene that most dramatically reduced the spread of endometrial, mammary and prostate cancer cells, as well as other types of cancer such as lung cancer and leukemia. Natural tomato lycopene prevents cancer not only by inhibiting cell growth induced by IGF-1 but also by effectively lowering IGF blood levels. Cancerous endometrial and mammary cells escape inhibition on the second or third day after the removal of lycopene and the daily addition of lycopene prevented a reversal of the inhibitory effect.
Nutraceuticals World, January/February 2001
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