Lycopene-A Scientific Overview,What is Lycopene and its sources,Actions and Pharmacology.Tomato Extract Lycopene

Contents

• Lycopene:A Scientific Overview.
• What are antioxidants and its inportance?
• What is Lycopene and its sources?
• Lycopene Actions and Pharmacology.
• Lycopene Brief Benefit and Common Knowledge.
• More Lycopene Health Benefits.
• Lycopene Uses based on scientific evidence.
• Indications and Usage:Research Summary.
• Safety and Toxicity:Lycopene.
• How Search engine think about Lycopene.
• Modern Research and Lycopene Update.
• Photo Gallery of Tomato

Lycopene Uses based on scientific evidence.

1.Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) prevention:

 Although most AMD research has focused on zeaxanthin/lutein, in a 1995 study, Mares-Perlman et al. observed that individuals with lycopene concentrations above 294 nmol/L were 50% less likely to have AMD than individuals with concentrations below this concentration.

 Based on antioxidant properties observed in laboratory studies, lycopene has been suggested as a preventive therapy for age-related macular degeneration. Preliminary human studies have overall not found a clear benefit. More research is needed before a recommendation can be made. C

 2.Alzheimer's Disease:

 A 1999 study of antioxidants (a-carotene, b-carotene, lycopene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E) examined 79 patients with Alzheimer's disease, 37 patients with vascular dementia, 18 patients with Parkinson's disease and dementia, and 58 matching controls, together with 41 patients with Parkinson's disease and 41 matching controls. Significant reductions in individual antioxidants were observed in all dementia groups. The reduction in plasma chain-breaking antioxidants in patients with dementia may reflect an increased free-radical activity, and a common role in cognitive impairment in these conditions.
 

 3.Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis:

 Dietary factors have long been suspected of being risk factors for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). A case-control study of risk factors for ALS conducted in New England in 1993-1996 examined the dietary intake of calcium, magnesium and antioxidants among 107 ALS cases and 262 community controls. Overall, these dietary factors were not related to risk of ALS, though modestly protective associations were suggested for magnesium and lycopene.

 4.Antioxidant Activity:

 Laboratory research suggests that lycopene, like other carotenoids, may have antioxidant properties. However, it is not clear if lycopene has these effects in the human body. Results of different studies do not agree with each other, and better research is needed before a firm conclusion can be drawn.

 Oxidative stress is recognized as one of the major contributors to the increased risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Among the common carotenoids lycopene stands as the most potent antioxidant as demonstrated by in vitro experimental systems. Based on this study the antioxidant potency of carotenoids can be ranked as follows:lycopene > [is greater than] alpha-tocopherol > alpha-carotene > beta-cryptoxanthin > zeaxanthin > beta-carotene > lutein. Mixtures of carotenoids were more effective than the single compounds. This synergistic effect was most pronounced when lycopene or lutein was present. The superior protection of mixtures may be related to the specific positioning of different carotenoids in cell membranes.

 Several studies of tomato consumption demonstrate the antioxidant properties in humans. For example, recently it was found that daily consumption of a tomato product containing 15 mg lycopene plus other tomato phytonutrients significantly enhanced the protection of lipoproteins from ex vivo oxidative stress. These results indicate that lycopene absorbed from tomato products may act as an in vivo antioxidant.
 


 5.Asthma caused by exercise:

 Laboratory research suggests that lycopene, like other carotenoids, may have antioxidant properties. It has been suggested that antioxidants may be helpful in the prevention of asthma that is caused by exercise. There is limited, poor-quality research in this area, and further evidence is needed before a recommendation can be made. C

 6.Atherosclerosis ("clogged" arteries) and high cholesterol

 It has been suggested that lycopene may be helpful in people with atherosclerosis or high cholesterol, possibly due to antioxidant properties. Several studies have been published in this area, most using tomato juice as a treatment. Results have not agreed with each other, and this issue remains unclear. C

 7.Breast cancer prevention:

 Research in animals and observations of large human populations have examined the relationship between developing breast cancer and tomato intake or lycopene levels in the body. The evidence in this area is not clear, and further studies are needed before a firm conclusion can be drawn. C
 

 8.Cardiovascular Disease:

 Studies have been done on lycopene's ability to prevent the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and thereby reduce the risk of developing atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Some of the studies have used purified lycopene, while others have focused on tomato products. Early in vitro studies suggested that lycopene might actually increase the oxidation of LDL. The in vivo studies have been somewhat contradictory. It is unclear if the contradictory results are due to a lack of understanding of the mechanism of action, or due to confusion between the effects of lycopene and tomatoes (which may contain other phytochemicals.)

 So far, studies of lycopene and cardiovascular disease have been limited. In a multi-center European study, the risk for acute heart attack at the highest level of lycopene in adipose tissue was reduced by 65% compared to adipose lycopene at the lowest level.

 In two other studies, an inverse relationship was found between lycopene in the serum and the risk of cardiovascular mortality or the risk of stroke. However, a third study found no association between lycopene serum levels and heart attacks.
 

 9.Cancer prevention (general):

 Studies have examined large populations to identify which lifestyle factors affect health. Many of these "epidemiologic" or "population" studies suggest a link between diets high in fruits and vegetables and a decreased risk of developing cancer. However, it is not entirely clear which foods are most beneficial, or if reduced cancer is due to other (non-dietary) aspects of a "healthy lifestyle." High levels of lycopene are found in tomatoes and in tomato-based products. Tomatoes are also sources of other nutrients such as vitamin C, folate, and potassium. Several laboratory and human studies examining tomato-based products and blood lycopene levels suggest that lycopene may be associated with a lower risk of developing cancer. However, due to a lack of well-designed human research using lycopene supplements, this issue remains unclear.


 10.Cervical cancer prevention:

 Observations of large human populations suggest possible benefits of tomato product intake in preventing cervical cancer. However, other studies report no benefits. Research that specifically studies lycopene supplements is lacking.

 11.Dietary Intake:

 Lycopene intake estimates vary considerably, depending on the population group and sources of lycopene in their diet. According to a 1996 study, lycopene intake in America averages 3.1-3.7 mg/day. However, a recent analysis of the USDA CSFII 1994 - 96 food survey showed a correct mean per capita intake of 5.2 mg/day, and half the population consumed less than 1.9 mg/day. Intake was higher in males than in females and decreased with age. Intake was highest for the 12 - 19 year age group.

 As previously mentioned, the optimal protective lycopene intake level from two large population studies is approximately 6.5 mg/day. However, there is often a big difference between optimal diets and actual diets. In fact, according to the widely-accepted Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals, 1994 - 1996, the median intake of lycopene for Americans was only 1.9 mg/day, which indicates that a very substantial gap exists.
 

 12.Gastrointestinal tract and colorectal cancer prevention:

 Multiple studies have examined whether intake of tomatoes or tomato-based products helps prevent digestive tract cancers, including oral, pharyngeal, esophageal, gastric, colon, and rectal. Results have been inconsistent, with some studies reporting significant benefits, and others finding no effects. Research that specifically studies lycopene supplements is limited, and more research is needed in this area before a conclusion can be drawn.
 

 13.High blood pressure associated with pregnancy (pre-eclampsia):

 Based on early study, lycopene may reduce the development of pre-eclampsia and intrauterine growth retardation in women having their first child. Further research is needed to confirm these results.


 14.Immune stimulation:

 It has been proposed that lycopene and other carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, may stimulate the immune system. However, several studies of lycopene supplements and tomato juice intake in humans report no effects on the immune system.

 15.Infertility:

 Based on early study, taking lycopene seems to have a role in the management of idiopathic male infertility. Further research is needed to confirm these results.
 

 16.Lung cancer prevention:

 Several studies observing large populations report a lower risk of developing lung cancer in people who regularly eat tomatoes. However, other studies report no benefits of tomato consumption. Research that specifically studies lycopene supplements is lacking.

 17.Lung function after exercise:

 A daily dose of lycopene for 1 week does not seem to affect lung function after exercise and does not provide any protective effect against clinical difficulty in breathing in young athletes.

 Studies are underway to investigate other potential benefits of lycopene - including the H.J. Heinz Company sponsored research at the University of Toronto and at the American Health Foundation. These studies will focus on lycopene's possible role in the fight against cancers of the digestive tract, breast and prostate cancer.

 


 18.Prostate cancer prevention:

 Studies of large populations report mixed results as to whether eating tomatoes/tomato-based products reduces the risk of developing prostate cancer. Research that specifically studies lycopene supplements is lacking.

 19.Skin Health and Cosmetic Uses:

   A recent patent claims tomato pigment as an active ingredient for preventing aging. The patent claims the preparation prevents inflammation of the skin due to peroxylipid formation. It also claims prevention of "blackening, wrinkles and sagging and has excellent skin aging prevention effect." Lycopene is a non Pro-vitamin A carotenoid that provides the strongest quenching action of singlet oxygen species, works best when used in combination with other antioxidants.

 Ribaya-Mercado et al. reported the protective effects of lycopene toward oxidative stress-mediated damage of the human skin after irradiation with UV light. Lycopene in combination with other carotenoids such as beta-carotene, vitamins C an E, selenium and proanthocyanidins, may help in reducing sunburn. Selected protective effects from UV rays have been observed in small, short-term studies. More research is needed before a firm conclusion can be drawn.

 20.Viral Disease:

 The epidemic of optic and peripheral neuropathy that occurred in Cuba in the early 1990s provides an example of how the nutritional status of the host may affect the impact of a virus. Patients who developed neuropathy had lower blood concentrations of riboflavin, vitamin E, selenium, a- and b-carotenes, and the carotenoid lycopene, which suggests that the disease was associated with an impairment of protective antioxidant pathways.

 After supplementation of the population with these nutrients, the disease began to subside. The nutritional status of the host can have a profound influence on a virus, so that a normally avirulent virus becomes virulent because of changes in the viral genome. Studies suggest that outbreaks of disease attributed to a nutritional deficiency may actually result from infection by a virus that has become pathogenic by replicating in a nutritionally deficient host.

Reference:

• Lycopene-A Scientific Overview,What is Lycopene and its sources,Actions and Pharmacology.Tomato Extract Lycopene

This article written and edited via herbalist of MDidea Extracts Professional. They run a range of online descriptions about this herb,including general information related and summarized updating discoveries from findings of professional scientisits this field related.Describe style aimed to form a useful detecting literature space where the intertwined threshold and related questions raise out and visualize themselves.

♣ last edit date:08th,Oct.2010.