In the 1960s, scientists discovered that people living in the Mediterranean very little suffering from breast cancer, prostate cancer and cardiovascular disease. Warm and humid climate in these areas, Is suitable for tomato growth. Tomato Is the main food for the locals. Tomatoes contain a substance that is a key component to prevent the risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia. it is called lycopene.
Scientists have found that lycopene in the diet reduces the risk of some cancers. Lycopene belongs to “carotenoids.” It is not only exist in tomatoes, watermelon, grapefruit, rose hips (rose fruit) and dozens of fruit or vegetables also contain a certain amount of lycopene, but most abundant in tomatoes. Lycopene has the role of anti-Arteriosclerosis, so that can prevent coronary heart disease, stroke, myocardial infarction and other cardiovascular diseases, dangerous Caused by atherosclerosis. Tomato juice is rich in vitamins, cellulose, and lycopene, lycopene can improve age-related macular degeneration. Lycopene is known to be a powerful antioxidant and it is thought it may play a part in mopping up free radicals in the body, which can play a part in infertility. Lycopene can effectively prevent breast cancer. The lycopene is one kind of important kind of renieratene, it widely exists in the fruit and the vegetables. Studies show that women with lycopene-rich diets can have as much as a 50 percent lower risk of developing breast cancer And junk food is gaining new respectability: lycopene-rich tomato sauce and pizza are now thought to reduce prostate cancer risk. so that Eat more tomatoes, broccoli or fruits and vegetables in red and dark green color. They carry a huge amount of antioxidant carotenoids, lycopene and carotene. Eat lycopene can prevent stomach, colon, rectum, oral cavity, breast and uterine cancer and so on. You can’t beat ‘em as a source of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that may help protect against cervical and breast cancers.
How to effectively eat tomatoes to prevent breast cancer You’d better eat tomatoes that is ripe, that Lycopene can be fully released and absorbed by the body. You’d better not to eat it with fasting, because that may Cause acid change and Cause stomach discomfort. Immature green tomatoes contain more chlorine, eating too much may cause physical discomfort, such as headache, dizziness, so it is best eaten ripe red tomatoes. Eat lycopene can prevent stomach, colon, rectum, oral cavity, breast and uterine cancer and so on.
Posts tagged ‘Lycopene’
What is lycopene?
Lycopene . The tomato sauces and especially contain large amounts of this pigment.
Lycopene can not be considered a nutrient, is a fat soluble plant pigment that plants develop to protect against the effects of light and air oxidation .
This substance is responsible for giving red or orange color characteristic of certain fruits and vegetables.
Lycopene belongs to the group of beta-carotene , but not converted into vitamin A, which is why it was believed that he had no physiological significance.
However, several studies have shown that lycopene is highly beneficial to human health .
It is a substance that can not be synthesized by the body, which makes only can be obtained through diet or through supplements. It is used as food coloring, food code assigned by the European Union to this substance is E-.160d.
How?
Carotenoid is a simple structure with an aliphatic chain composed of forty carbon atoms. It is highly lipophilic (tendency to bind with fat), no cyclic rings and has numerous conjugated double bonds.
How do you get?
Is obtained by chemical synthesis , although the process is not yet fully established and, unlike other carotenoids such as beta-carotene produced by large-scale synthesis, lycopene is mainly obtained from natural sources, especially tomatoes and mushrooms .
However, removal systems are expensive and lycopene has low stability, which has limited their use as food coloring.
Where is the body?
The lycopene in the organism is present in the blood in the amount of 30 mg / d and tissues where it is distributed variably.
It can be considered the predominant carotenoid in the composition of human tissues, concentrating especially on the prostate , which could explain the strong preventive action in the development of prostate cancer.
What foods contain it?
It is obtained from well-defined food in our diet, among which include tomato products (sauces, tomato sauce, crushed, juice, ketchup), watermelon , papaya , apricots , carrots , pink grapefruit , red fruit and guava .
Lycopene supplements
Lycopene supplements have not shown greater benefits than the consumption of fresh produce, nor are proven risks.
For this reason, it is highly recommended intake of lycopene from foods and supplements. However, you can get lycopene in supplement form, the usual doses are between 5 to 15 milligrams in tablet form .
Lycopene supplements are not recommended in pregnant or lactating women, and we need anyone who wants to take them first consult your doctor.
How should we take?
Regarding the optimal dose of lycopene, no standards, but approximate ranges that suggest a contribution of 4 to 6.5 mg daily . Other authors suggest consumption of 10 servings per week (one serving = ½ cup of tomato sauce or tomato half or quarter of pureed tomatoes).
This recommendation can be achieved through the consumption of many dishes that have tomatoes as an ingredient, to get an idea, a portion of 60 grams of tomato puree, which can form part of a meal or the sauce that accompanies a food can provide about 10 mg of lycopene.
Anyway, it is important to clarify that lycopene is not found exclusively in tomatoes, is present in other foods but in other quantities.
Side Effects and Warnings
The review of the available scientific literature does not find reports of toxicity or side effects in the consumption of tomatoes, tomato products, or lycopene supplements.
Although tomatoes and tomato products can be acidic and irritate stomach ulcers, be contraindicated in people with diverticulitis as evidenced even by some studies to be contraindicated mass consumption of tomatoes if you have an attack of gout.
It is important to note that people with allergies or hypersensitivity to lycopene or lycopene tomatoes should be avoided.
In direct opposition to the protective action of lycopene against lung cancer, some researchers have concluded that it can increase the production of this type of cancer in smokers in spite of lycopene .
Drug interaction
Some medications to lower blood cholesterol levels can also reduce levels of carotenoids such as lycopene.
Examples of medicines that lower cholesterol include medications such as “statins” like lovastatin or atorvastatin , cholestyramine or colestipol .
It has been suggested that nicotine (smoking cigarettes) and alcohol, can lower levels of lycopene in the body, but has not been demonstrated.
According to studies in humans, the tomato-based foods may prevent platelet aggregation and thrombosis.
Theoretically, lycopene may increase the risk of bleeding when taken with drugs that increase the risk of bleeding . Examples include aspirin, anticoagulants such as warfarin (Coumadin ®) or heparin, antiplatelet drugs such as clopidogrel (Plavix) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen (Motrin ®, Advil ® or naproxen (Naprosyn ®, Aleve ®).
