Introduction:
Lycopene is nothing but an essential plant-based carotenoid compound that is currently known to hold a promising potential for preventing cancer and chronic diseases when consumed through diet. Whole foods are often the most preferred sources of lycopene. Many nutrition experts often advise a lycopene-rich diet that can work well in conjunction with additional nutrients that someone obtains through foods from their daily diet to sustain long-term cardiovascular and bone health. For instance, tomato veggies contain a variety of antioxidant compounds in addition to lycopene, that are known to exert a cardioprotective effect, in conjunction with the vitamin C or ascorbic acid present in it. While more scientific evidence and research are required to fully understand the potential health benefits of lycopene, whether consumed through diet or as a supplement, it is widely acknowledged in the medical and nutrition community that it does have a nutritional value.
What Are the Health Benefits of Lycopene?
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A positive health effect of lycopene is its potential to lower LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels in the blood. Current research suggests that consuming high-fiber foods daily can help prevent various chronic diseases. It increases the number of healthy gut bacteria and exerts a pro-digestive effect on the body.
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Several large-scale and extensive meta-analysis reports showed that the control groups or participants who consumed generally higher lycopene through food or supplements and who had high blood levels of the lycopene compound were at the lowest risk of developing prostate cancer. Several epidemiological studies that are conducted across the world in large-scale population groups show the promising potency of lycopene supplementation via diet to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancers, while also possibly boosting bone metabolism and bone health significantly (by preventing excess bone resorption in the body).
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Nutrition researchers have focused more on investigating the mutual relationship and the confirmation of higher lycopene levels in individuals to strongly correlate to a reduced risk of developing cancers such as prostate cancer.
Emerging evidence suggests that the bioactive antioxidants produced by the lycopene compound play a crucial role in preventing the initiation and replication of cancer cells. These antioxidants effectively neutralize harmful free radicals, thereby safeguarding cellular health and immunity. Ongoing research is focused on exploring the potential of lycopene supplements in preventing oral precancerous lesions, such as oral leukoplakia, as well as combating metabolic syndrome.
What Are the Food Sources of Lycopene?
A medium-sized tomato contains approximately 0.0000066 ounces of lycopene, while just one cup of watermelon provides a whopping 0.028 ounces of lycopene. As previously mentioned, tomatoes are the richest source of lycopene. Even consuming about 2 tablespoons (approximately 0.072 ounces) of commercially available tomato paste would provide a generous 0.000055 ounces of lycopene. Some of the foods with the highest amounts of lycopene, which contribute to their vibrant colors, include watermelons, tomatoes, grapefruit, papaya, and mangoes.
One can further find a good quality amount of lycopene in certain tomato products, such as the commercially available sun-dried tomato or the tomato paste. Some other food sources that contain little amounts of lycopene and that someone can include in their diet are veggies like asparagus, and persimmons, as well as the commonly available red bell peppers.
How to Consume Lycopene?
Lycopene supplements should be generally stored at room temperature and away from direct sunlight in a cool and dry place. Most containers that store lycopene supplements in the pharmaceutical industry often tend to block any form of ultraviolet (UV) light from the environment to protect the supplement from possible damage. A nutritionist, dietician, or professional healthcare provider is usually the best advisor for giving personalized advice based on body composition, nutritional requirements, and systemic health status. There exist different supplements similar to lycopene that include the following enlisted compounds which may be recommended by the nutritionist to sustain long-term health and prevent predisposition to chronic diseases :
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Zeaxanthin.
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Vitamin A.
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Vitamin E (tocopherol).
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Vitamin C.
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Beta-carotene.
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Lutein.
Before someone consumes a lycopene supplement for health reasons, it is always advisable to consult only a registered healthcare professional or nutritionist before doing so. This is because even though there are no adverse effects of this supplement investigated by scientific research as such, it is contraindicated in certain conditions like pregnancy and breastfeeding. Also in individuals who are on certain systemic medications, it would possibly interfere with the absorption of some systemic drugs. Different varieties or supplements of lycopene are available in online retail stores and pharmaceuticals. One must be aware as a consumer to be aware of the fact that only third-party types of supplements that are tested can be safely consumed. One can find the third-party tested supplements of lycopene usually referred to as a "standardized tomato extract," which usually contains the extracted lycopene from tomatoes in addition to other nutrients as well that are commonly present in tomatoes.
What Are the Possible Adverse Effects?
According to current medical research, there is no harm associated with consuming lycopene in excess either from food or by supplement. However, the long-term implications are not investigated thoroughly. Some preliminary medical research shows that, with long-term lycopene supplementation, one would possibly develop the benign skin condition known as lycopenemia which is characterized by a yellow or orange skin undertone. This condition is usually harmless and self-resolving once patients switch over to a lycopene-free diet or consume foods or diet sources that are low in lycopene content.
It is also essential to avoid lycopene in any form, especially for individuals who may be undergoing surgery and ideally, it is advisable to avoid lycopene for two weeks before the surgery, as per current medical guidelines.
Conclusion:
According to health experts, it is also wiser to prefer the food sources of lycopene to avail its multiple health benefits. Individuals do not have to include lycopene supplementation regularly in their diet plan unless they have received a recommendation from a healthcare professional or nutritionist. Further research is required to thoroughly investigate the long-term effects of lycopene supplements.
