Red meds: boost your health with lycopene - wellness - tomatos

They're delicious fresh from the garden, simmered into a sauce or used as the basis for Mom's homemade soup. In fact, tomatoes are among the world's most versatile fruits. But chefs aren't the only ones singing the tomato's praises.

Culinary merits aside, the tomato has been identified by medical researchers as a prime natural source of lycopene, one of the most beneficial antioxidants. A growing body of evidence links lycopene intake with a decreased risk of heart disease; lung, stomach and prostate cancers; and possibly with a decreased risk of cancers of the breast, esophagus, cervix, colon, pancreas, rectum and oral cavity.

awesome antioxidant

A variety of antioxidant systems functions in our bodies to provide defenses against premature aging, diseases such as cancer and heart disease and exposure to harmful toxins. Antioxidants act to neutralize free radicals--the toxic, oxygen-based molecules that cause damage to cells, DNA and proteins. Free radicals occur and are neutralized as the result of normal metabolism. But exposure to excessive environmental and dietary contaminants, drugs and other toxins can deplete our antioxidant stores, leaving us more susceptible to the development of chronic diseases.

Lycopene belongs to a family Of nutrients known as carotenoids--natural plant pigments especially abundant in red, orange and yellow fruits and vegetables, and in dark green, leafy vegetables. Tomatoes hold the highest natural concentration of lycopene, but the pigment can also be found in watermelon, pink grapefruit, red guava, papaya and apricots, as well as in the skins of red grapes.

cancer combatant

For years, scientists have understood the benefits of lycopene for the prevention of prostate cancer. In the December 1995 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, for example, Edward Giovannucci, MD, and his fellow researchers reported that men eating 10 or more servings (one serving equals about 1/2 cup) of tomato-based foods per week had a 35 percent reduction in the incidence of prostate cancer compared to men who ate less than 1 1/2 weekly servings. Furthermore, men who consumed 6.5 milligrams (mg) per day or more of lycopene showed a 21 percent decrease in risk of prostate cancer.

But lycopene may do more than help prevent cancer. Recent research indicates that it also shows promise for men who already suffer from the disease. In the August 2001 issue of Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, Omer Kucuk, MD, reported that prostate cancer patients who took 15 mg of lycopene twice daily had decreased growth of cancer cells compared to patients who did not take lycopene. Due to the small size of this study, however, more research needs to be conducted.

bodily benefit

How can the simple tomato do so much? According to a review presented in the November 2002 issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine, lycopene reduces cancer risk in two ways. One is by promoting antioxidant activity through which lycopene neutralizes cancer-promoting free radicals. The second is by promoting the expression of the gene `connexin 43,' which acts to prevent the growth of cancer cells by maintaining cellular functions known as intercellular gap junctional communication (GJC). According to David Heber, MD, GJC function is reduced in many forms of human cancer, but when GJC is restored or increased, it diminishes the production of cancer cells.

heart health

New research also points toward lycopene as a key player in the prevention of heart disease--one of the leading causes of death in the western world.

According to a review of several studies by Ashutosh V. Rao, MD, in the November 2002 edition of the journal Experimental Biology and Medicine, research suggests that lycopene reduces the risk of heart disease in two ways: by lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad" cholesterol, through potent antioxidant action; and by inhibiting the enzymes involved in cholesterol production. In this review, men with higher levels of serum lycopene had considerably fewer occurrences of stroke, heart attacks and atherosclerosis than those with lower lycopene levels.

dietary delight

Our bodies don't actually produce lycopene or other carotenoids such as alpha- and beta-carotene, and lutein. We depend solely on dietary intake to maintain the levels we need.

Plus, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, use of oral contraceptives, inadequate dietary intake and prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light can all deplete carotenoid levels in the body.

The exact amount of lycopene or lycopene-rich foods you should consume each week for the maximum health benefit has not been established.

According to John Weisberger, MD, of the American Health Foundation, the absorption of dietary lycopene from tomatoes is enhanced by cooking them and by adding a small amount of oil to them. Cooking helps release lycopene from plant cell walls, and--because lycopene is highly fat soluble--adding heart-healthy monounsaturated oils such as extra virgin olive oil further improves absorption.