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Lycopene

Common Name: Lycopene
Synonyms: C40H56

Overview:

Lycopene is another member of the carotenoid family of phytochemicals. It is a bright red phytochemical and is responsible for the color of tomatoes and watermelons. Like other carotenoids, lycopene absorbs light during the process of photosynthesis (the chemical process by which green plants makes food from sunlight) and helps turn it into energy. It is also protects the plant cells against photosensitization (a heightened response to sunlight or ultraviolet radiation) that can cause damage to the plant cells.

Like all the other brightly colored members of the carotenoid family, lycopene is a powerful antioxidant and is thought to play a major role in helping to prevent many health altering conditions. These conditions include: macular degeneration, cataracts, cardiovascular disease and several different cancers including breast, cervical, prostate, colon, lung, and gastrointestinal. Lycopene protects against cancer and age related diseases by quenching and neutralizing the damage caused by free radicals to the cells and tissues of the body.

Benefits

Research into lycopene is beginning to show how important this carotenoid is to good health. Studies have shown:

  1. That in a six year study of Seventh Day Adventist men (those who are Seventh Day Adventist are often vegetarian and/or limit their intact of meat), it was found that in the men who ate tomatoes more that 5 times a week the relative risk of prostate cancer was 0.60 compared to those who ate them less than once a week.
  2. That the risk of developing prostate cancer was 35% less in those who ate more that 10 servings of tomatoes weekly. This was compared to those who ate fewer that 1.5 serving a week. This study followed the eating habits of 47,000 men for six years. A positive correlation between the consumption of lycopene rich, tomato based foods and an apparent resistance to the development of prostate cancer.
  3. There is an inverse relationship between the consumption of tomatoes and tomato based products such as tomato, pizza and spaghetti sauces or blood lycopene levels and the risk of developing various types of cancer. This inverse relationship was found in 52 out of 72 studies reviewed. This inverse relationship was most strongly associated with prostate, lung and stomach cancers.
  4. That in a preliminary study, 33 men scheduled for prostate surgery randomly received 30mg of lycopene per day or nothing at all. In 12 men who received no lycopene, 9 showed that the cancer cells had spread to the edge of the prostate glands while in the 21 who received lycopene supplements only 7 showed any spread of the cancer. The level of PSA levels in the blood (prostate specific antigen, sued to monitor progress after prostate surgery) fell 20% in those who received the lycopene supplements while those who received no supplement remained unchanged.
  5. In epidemiological studies and inverse relationship between high levels of lycopene in tissue and coronary artery disease. In a recent 3 week study of 19 healthy subjects eating a lycopene rich diet while no change was seen in the total level of cholesterol in the blood, there was a significant decease in the oxidation of in lipid peroxidation and LDL-cholesterol oxidation (this is what antioxidants do, they prevent cholesterol from being turned into harmful substances like ____ and ___ by dangerous free radicals). It was found that consuming at least 40mg of lycopene reduced the destruction of LDL. High LDL oxidation is associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease.
  6. That lycopene may also reduce sun damage to the skin caused by ultraviolet light. Exposure to ultraviolet light is what is responsible for not only tanning but sunburn, premature aging of the skin and skin cancer. This is caused by the formation of free radicals. Lycopene with its ability to destroy these free radicals may help to lessen the effects of sun exposure and skin damage.
  7. Lycopene has also proven helpful in the prevention and treatment of preeclampsia. In a double blind study of 252 pregnant women who received either a placebo or 2mg of lycopene twice a day, those who received the lycopene supplements their chances of developing Preeclampsia had a significantly lower risk of developing this dangerous complication of pregnancy ( a complication that can sometimes lead to the death of the mother).
  8. Promise in reducing the precancerous condition, leukoplakia, in the mouth and other mucous membranes. In a double blind study, 58 people with oral leukoplakia received either 8mg or 4mg of lycopene daily or a placebo for three months. They were then followed for an additional two months. Both does of Lycopene proved to be more effective than the placebo in reducing the signs and symptoms of leukoplakia and the 8mg was more effective than the 4mg dose.

Dietary Sources

Good sources of lycopene are:

Tomatoes
 Tomatoes
Watermelon
 Watermelon
Pink Grapefruit
 Pink Grapefruit
Guavas
 Guavas
Papayas
 Papayas
Apricots
 Apricots

With watermelon containing even more lycopene that tomatoes.

Recommended Dosage:

Although, no optimal dosage of lycopene has been set, lycopene is available in:

  1. Tablets of 10mg
  2. Capsules of 5, 6, and 10mg

The dosage for optimal health benefits is believed to be approximately 30mg taken in 15mg doses twice a day.

Contra-indications

  1. People who are sensitive to any member of the nightshade family such as tomatoes, peppers, potatoes and eggplants should get lycopene from other food sources such as watermelon pink grapefruits, guavas or papayas. Any supplement should be free of solanine, the sensitizing chemical in these vegetables.
  2. Tomatoes and tomato based products are also contraindicated in cases of nightshade sensitive arthritis and lycopene should be obtained from other food sources or from solanine free supplements.
  3. As the safety of lycopene supplements in children or those with liver or kidney disease has not been studied, these people should receive lycopene from a food source.
  4. Again, although the preeclampsia study showed lycopene supplements to be safe for pregnant women, those who are pregnant or breastfeeding should obtain lycopene from food or consult a health care provider before using.

Drug interactions

  1. Cholestyramine, a drug used to lower serum cholesterol levels, taken at the same time as lycopene may decrease the absorption of lycopene.
  2. Colestipol, an oral cholesterol-lowering agent, when taken with lycopene may decrease the absorption of lycopene.
  3. Mineral oil taken at the same time as lycopene may decrease the absorption of lycopene.
  4. Orlistat, a drug that promotes loss of weight by preventing the digestion and absorption of dietary fat, may decrease the absorption of lycopene.
  5. Dietary oils, especially olive oil, have been shown to enhance the absorption of lycopene. Cooking has been shown to have no detrimental effects on lycopene and actually enhances its health giving properties.
  6. Olestra may reduce the absorption of lycopene.

Nutritional interactions

  1. Beta-carotene taken with lycopene may increase the absorption of lycopene.
  2. Medium chain fatty acids are components of coconut and palm kernel oils, taken with lycopene may increase the absorption of lycopene.
  3. Pectin taken at the same time as lycopene may decrease the absorption of lycopene.

Web References

  1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycopene
  2. http://www.pdrhealth.com/drug_info/nmdrugprofiles/nutsupdrugs/lyc_0165.shtml
  3. http://healthlibrary.epnet.com/GetContent.aspx?token=e0498803-7f62-4563-8d47-5fe33da65dd4&chunkiid=21805

Printed Reference Material

  1. Agarwal S, Rao AV. Tomato lycopene and its role in human health and chronic diseases. CMAJ. 2000; 163:739-744.
  2. Agarwal S, Rao AV. Tomato lycopene and low density lipiprotein oxidation: a human dietary intervention study. Lipids. 1998; 33:981-984.
  3. Ahuja KD, Pittaway JK, Ball MJ et al. Effects of olive oil and tomato lycopene combination on serum lycopene, lipid profile, and lipid oxidation. Nutrition. 2006 Jan 12 [Epub ahead of print].
  4. Arab L, Steck S. Lycopene and cardiovascular disease. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000; 71(suppl); 1691S-1695S.
  5. Atessahin A, Turk G, Karahan I et al. Lycopene prevents adriamycin-induced testicular toxicity in rats. Fertil Steril. 2006;85 Suppl 1:1216-22.
  6. Aviram M, Fuhrman B. LDL oxidation by arterial wall macrophages depends on the oxidative status in the lipoprotein and in the cells: role of prooxidants vs. antioxidants. Mol Cell Biochem. 1998;188(1–2):149–159.
  7. Barber NJ, Zhang X, Zhu G et al. Lycopene inhibits DNA synthesis in primary prostate epithelial cells in vitro and its administration is associated with a reduced prostate-specific antigen velocity in a phase II clinical study. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 2006 Sep 19 [Epub ahead of print
  8. Bohm Y, Bitsch R. Intestinal absorption of lycopene from different matrices and interactions to other carotenoids, the lipid status, and the antioxidant capacity of human plasma. Eur J Nutr. 1999; 38:118-125.
  9. Boileau AC, Merchen NR, Wasson K, et al. Cis-lycopene is more bioavailable than trans-lycopene in vitro and in vivo in lymph-cannulated ferrets. J Nutr. 1999; 129:1176-1181.
  10. Bramley PM. Is lycopene beneficial to human health? Phytochem. 2000; 54:233-236.
  11. Clinton SK, Emenhiser C, Schwartz SJ, et al. Cis-trans lycopene isomers, carotenoids, and retinol in the human prostate. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 1996; 5:823-833.
  12. Clinton SK. Lycopene: chemistry, biology, and implications for human health and disease. Nutr Rev. 1998; 56:35-51.
  13. Engelhard YN, Gazer B, Paran E et al. Natural antioxidants from tomato extract reduce blood pressure in patients with grade-1 hypertension: a double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study. Am Heart J. 2006;151:100.
  14. Falk B, Gorev R, Zigel L et al. Effect of lycopene supplementation on lung function after exercise in young athletes who complain of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction symptoms. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2005;94:480-5.
  15. Franceschi S, Bidoli E, La Vecchia C, et al. Tomatoes and risk of digestive-tract cancers. Int J Cancer. 1994;59:181–184.
  16. Gann PH, Ma J, Giovannucci E, et al. Lower prostate cancer risk in men with elevated plasma lycopene levels: results of a prospective analysis. Cancer Res. 1999; 59:1225-1230.
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  18. Gionvannucci E. Tomatoes, tomato-based products, lycopene, and cancer: review of the epidemiological literature. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1999;91:317–331.
  19. Giovannucci E, Ascherio A, Rimm EB, et al. Intake of carotenoids and retinol in relation to risk of prostate cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1995; 87:1767-1976.
  20. Giovannucci E, Clinton SK. Tomatoes, lycopene, and prostate cancer. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1998;218:129–139.
  21. Hoppe PP, Kramer K, Van Den Berg H, et al. Synthetic and tomato-based lycopene have identical bioavailability in humans. Eur J Nutr. 2003;42:272-8.
  22. Johnson EJ, Qin J, Krinsky NI, Russell RM. Ingestion by men of a combined dose of beta-carotene and lycopene does not affect the absorption of beta-carotene but improves that of lycopene. J Nutr. 1997; 127:1833-1837.
  23. Johnson EJ. The role of lycopene in health and disease. Nutr Clin Care. 2000; 3:35-43.
  24. Karimi G, Ramezani M, Abdi A. Protective effects of lycopene and tomato extract against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. Phytother Res. 2005;19:912-4.
  25. Key TJ, Silcocks PB, Davey GK, et al. A case-control study of diet and prostate cancer. Br J Cancer. 1997;76:678–687.
  26. Kim DJ, Takasuka N, Kim JM, et al. Chemoprevention by lycopene of mouse lung neoplasia after combined initiation treatment with DEN, MNU and DMH. Cancer Lett. 1997;120:15–22.
  27. Kucuk O, Sarkar FH, Sakr W, et al. Phase II randomized clinical trial of lycopene supplementation before radical prostatectomy. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2001;10:861–868.
  28. Kumar R, Gupta NP. Lycopene therapy in idiopathic male infertility: results of a clinical trial. Presented at: 34th Annual Conference of the Urological Society of India. January 18–21, 2001; Nagpur, India. Abstr 102.
  29. Leal M, Shimada S, Ruiz F, et al. Effect of lycopene on lipid peroxidation and glutathione-dependent enzymes induced by T-2 toxin in vivo. Toxicol Lett. 1999; 109:1-10.
  30. Mares-Perlman JA, Brady WE, Klein R, et al. Serum antioxidants and age-related macular degeneration in a population-based case-control study. Arch Ophthalmol. 1995;113:1518–1523.
  31. Michaud DS, Feskanich D, Rimm EB, et al. Intake of specific carotenoids and risk of lung cancer in 2 prospective U.S. cohorts. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000; 72:990-997.
  32. Mohanty NK, Saxena S, Singh UP et al. Lycopene as a chemopreventive agent in the treatment of high-grade prostate intraepithelial neoplasia. Urol Oncol. 2005;23:383-5.
  33. Neuman I, Nahum H, Ben-Amotz A. Reduction of exercise-induced asthma oxidative stress by lycopene, a natural antioxidant. Allergy. 2000;55:1184–1189.
  34. New Research Shows Combination of Tomato Phytonutrients Effectively Combats Breast Cancer (February 2000). Press Release from LycoRed Natural Products Industries Ltd., P.O.B. 320, Beer -Sheva 84102, Israel.
  35. Nomura AM, Stemmermann GN, Lee J, et al. Serum micronutrients and prostate cancer in Japanese Americans in Hawaii. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 1997;6:487–491.
  36. Okajima E, Tsutsumi M, Ozono S. Inhibitory effect of tomato juice on rat urinary bladder carcinogenesis after N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine initiation. Jpn J Cancer Res. 1998;89:22–26.
  37. Paetau I, Rao D, Wiley ER, et al. Carotenoids in human buccal mucosa cells after 4 wk of supplementation with tomato juice or lycopene supplements. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999; 70:490-494.
  38. Rao AV, Agarwal S. Bioavailability and in vivo antioxidant properties of lycopene from tomato products and their possible role in the prevention of cancer. Nutr Cancer. 1998; 31:199-203.
  39. Rao AV, Agarwal S. Role of lycopene as antioxidant carotenoid in the prevention of chronic diseases: a review. Nutr Res. 1999; 19:305-323.
  40. Rao AV, Fleshner N, Agarwal S. Serum and tissue lycopene and biomarkers of oxidation in prostate cancer patients: a case-control study. Nutr Cancer. 1999; 33:159-164.
  41. Riso P, Pinder A, Santangelo A, Porrini M. Does tomato consumption effectively increase the resistance of lymphocyte DNA to oxidative damage? Am J Clin Nutr. 1999; 69:712-718.
  42. Sengupta A, Das S. The anti-carcinogenic role of lycopene, abundantly present in tomato. Eur J Cancer Prev. 1999; 8:325-330.
  43. Sesso HD, Buring JE, Norkus EP et al. Plasma lycopene, other carotenoids, and retinol and the risk of cardiovascular disease in men. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005;81:990-7.
  44. Sesso HD, Liu S, Gaziano JM, et al. Dietary lycopene, tomato-based food products and cardiovascular disease in women. J Nutr. 2003;133:2336-41.
  45. Shao A, Hathcock JN. Risk assessment for the carotenoids lutein and lycopene. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2006;45:289-98.
  46. Sharma JB, Kumar A, Kumar A, et al. Effect of lycopene on pre-eclampsia and intra-uterine growth retardation in primigravidas. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2003;81:257–262.
  47. Sibai BM. Prevention of preeclampsia: a big disapointment. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1998;179:1275–1278.
  48. Sies H, Stahl W. Lycopene: antioxidant and biological effects and its bioavailability in the human. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1998; 218:121-124.
  49. Singh M, Krishanappa R, Bagewadi A, et al. Efficacy of oral lycopene in the treatment of oral leukoplakia. OralOncol. 2004;40:591-6.
  50. Stahl W, Heinrich U, Wiseman S, et al. Dietary tomato paste protects against ultraviolet light-induced erythema in humans. Journal of Nutrition. 2001;131:1449-51.
  1. Sutherland WH, Walker RJ, De Jong SA, Upritchard JE. Supplementation with tomato juice increases plasma lycopene but does not alter susceptibility to oxidation of low-density lipoproteins from renal transplant patients. Clin Nephrol. 1999; 52:30
  2. Wang L, Liu S, Manson JE et al. The consumption of lycopene and tomato-based food products is not associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes in women. J Nutr. 2006;136:620-5.
  3. Weisburger JH. Evaluation of the evidence on the role of tomato products in disease prevention. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1998;218:140–143.
  4. Yilmaz S, Atessahin A, Sahna E et al. Protective effect of lycopene on adriamycin-induced cardiotoxicity and nephrotoxicity. Toxicology. 2005;218:164-71.

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