The Anti-Cancer Health Benefits Of Lycopene
Lycopene is red colored plant pigment that is found most abundantly in tomatoes, but is also found in other red colored fruits and vegetables. It is also an antioxidant of the carotenoid family, that include other antioxidants like beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin. Over the past few years lycopene has received a lot of attention for its antioxidant abilities as a result of the many studies that have released evidence for its anti-cancer properties among other health benefits.
Anti-Cancer Health Benefits of Lycopene
Many of the studies of lycopene have involved the use of tomatoes and tomato products due to the rich concentrations of lycopene found in tomatoes, while a few other have used lycopene supplements. The results always find that the effectiveness of lycopene is always better when it is consumed in a 'true' food source like tomatoes. Researchers believe that lycopene is even more powerful when it works together with other nutrients and antioxidants in tomatoes.
Lung Cancer
One very large prospective study undertaken here in the USA, found a strong link between eating lycopene rich foods and a reduced risk of developing lung cancer. Amazingly, researchers closely followed and analysed the diets of 120,000 men and women for at least 10 years. The results found that those whose diets contained the highest amounts of lycopene, and another carotenoid called alpha-carotene, were at a significant less risk of developing lung cancer.
Prostate Cancer
Its the results of a prospective study of 47,000 health professional males that were a major factor in raising awareness about the health benefits of lycopene. The men were followed for a period of 8 years and it was discovered that those whose diet had the highest intake of lycopene were 21% less likely to develop prostate cancer. In addition to this, the men who got more than 80% of their dietary intake of lycopene from tomatoes and their products were 35% less likely to develop prostate cancer, and 53% likely to develop the more aggressive kinds of prostate cancer.
Lycopene and Tomatoes
To get the most out of the lycopene in tomatoes, we need to process them somehow. More of the lycopene is made available for digestion if the tomatoes are cooked or juiced or blended. So spaghetti sauce, ketchup, tomato sauce and tomato juicer recipes are a better source of lycopene than eating raw tomatoes.