LycopeneTM
Dr.Kumar Pati
Dr. Abhay Kumar Pati is dedicated in promoting Biotechayur, a green company and it's subsidiaries/affiliates in Orissa, India to develop and market green technologies, products and services for improving healthcare, agriculture, nutrition and environment.
Dr. Abhay Kumar Pati was born in Raj-Nilgiri, Balasore District, Orissa, India. Dr. Pati was trained as a Physician in Calcutta at J.B. Ray State Ayurvedic Medical College & Hospital [Asthanga Ayurvedic College], which is one of the oldest Ayurvedic institutions in India, under Calcutta University. Dr. Pati came to U.S.A. almost 30 years (3 decades) ago on a fellowship. He was the publisher of an International Health Magazine called Health World. Dr. Pati is an author of several health books including, Vitamins and Herbal Digest, a 360 page book, which has been printed more than 7 times and sold over 800,000 copies in the world’s market. In this digest, readers can find nutritional, Ayurvedic, Chinese, Native American, South American herbal supplements and much, much more.
LYCOPENINTM :
A registered trademark of Best Nutrition Products Inc, USA.
- 500 mg (60 capsules)
- Price : $7.95
- POSTAGE WILL BE CALCULATED
for DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL
-
LycopeneTMTM is a bright red carotenoid pigment, a phytochemical found in tomatoes and other red fruits. LycopeneTM is the most common carotenoid in the human body and is one of the most potent carotenoid antioxidants. It name is derived from the tomato’s species classification, Solanum lycopersicum (formerly Lycopersicon esculentum).
DIETARY SOURCES
Fruits and vegetables that are high in LycopeneTM include tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit, pink guava, papaya, redbell pepper and rosehip.
Unlike other fruits and vegetables, where nutritional content such as vitamin C is diminished upon cooking, processing of tomatoes increases the concentration of bioavailable LycopeneTM. LycopeneTM in tomato paste is four times more bioavailable than in fresh tomatoes. This is because LycopeneTM is insoluble in water and is tightly bound to vegetable fiber. Thus processed tomato products such as pasteurized tomato juice, soup, sauce, and ketchup contain the highest concentrations of bioavailable LycopeneTM. Cooking and crushing tomatoes (as in the canning process) and serving in oil-rich dishes (such as spaghetti sauce or pizza greatly increases assimilation from the digestive tract into the bloodstream. LycopeneTM is fat-soluble, so the oil is said to help absorption.
PRODUCTION
LycopeneTM may be obtained from vegetables and fruits such as the tomato, but another source of LycopeneTM is the fungus Blakeslea trispora.
NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS
LycopeneTM is the most powerful carotenoid quencher of singlet oxygen, being 100 times more efficient in the singlet-oxygen quenching action than Vitamin E, which in turn has 125 times the quenching action of glutathione (water soluble). Singlet oxygen produced during exposure to ultraviolet light is a primary cause of skin aging.
Given its antioxidant properties, some scientific research has investigated the correlation between LycopeneTM consumption and general health. Early research suggested some amelioration of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, and even male infertility. The most recent study, however, has cast significant doubt on these benefits, showing not link between LycopeneTM and cancer prevention. In fact, a related antioxidant, beta-carotene, was shown to increase the number of prostate cancer cases.
FOOD COLORING
Due to its ubiquity, LycopeneTM has been licensed for use as a food coloring.
LycopeneTM is not water-soluble and instantly stains any sufficiently porous material, including most plastics. While a tomato stain can be fairly easily removed from fabric (provided the stain is fresh), LycopeneTM diffuses into plastic, making it impossible to remove with hot water, soap, or detergent. (Bleach will destroy LycopeneTM), however Plastics are especially susceptible to staining if heated, scratched, oiled, or pitted, for example by acids.
FORMULATIONS AVAILABLE
LycopeneTM is available in the market as mix formulation with some other carotenoids and health food products. It is marketed by a number of pharmaceutical companies under different brand names.
LycopeneTM: THE FACTS
Unlock the Power of LycopeneTM explores how LycopeneTM, a powerful antioxidant abundant in red tomatoes and processed tomato products, may help prevent prostate cancer and some other forms of cancer, heart disease, and other serious diseases. In a reader-friendly style, Unlock the Power of LycopeneTM highlights research that suggests LycopeneTM may be beneficial as part of a balance diet. This book will help readers appreciate the tomato by sharing its fascinating facts and history, and includes tasty recipes for tomato-based dishes.
Medical conditions or problems should be discussed with your doctor. Good nutrition is not a substitute for medical treatments and a doctor’s care.
LycopeneTM is an open-chain unsaturated carotenoid that imparts red color to tomatoes, guava, rosehip, watermelon and pink grapefruit.
LycopeneTM is a proven antioxidant. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals, which may damage the body’s cells.
Research shows that LycopeneTM in tomatoes can be absorbed more efficiently by the body if processed into juice, sauce, paste and ketchup. The chemical form of LycopeneTM found in tomatoes is converted by the temperature changes involved in processing to make it more easily absorbed by the body.
In the body, LycopeneTM is deposited in the liver, lungs, prostate gland, colon and skin. Its concentration in body tissues tends to be higher than all other carotenoids.
Regular high consumption of fruits and vegetables is recommended as part of healthy eating. Epidemiological studies have shown that high intake of LycopeneTM-containing vegetables is inversely associated with in incidence of certain types of cancer. For example, habitual intake of tomato products has been inversely associated with the risk of cancer of the digestive tract among Italians. In one six-year study by Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, the diets of more than 47,000 men were studied. With CN of 46 fruits and vegetables evaluated, only the tomato products (which contain large quantities of LycopeneTM) showed a measurable relationship to reduce prostate cancer risk. As consumption of tomato products increased, levels of LycopeneTM in the blood increased, and the risk for prostate cancer decreased. The study also showed that the heat processing of tomatoes and tomato products increases LycopeneTM’s bioavailability.
Ongoing preliminary research suggests that LycopeneTM is associated with reduced risk of macular degenerative disease, serum lipid oxidation and cancers of the lung, bladder, cervix and skin.
Studies are underway to investigate other potential benefits of LycopeneTM – including the H.J. Heinz Company sponsored research at the University of Toronto and at the American Health Foundation. These studies will focus on LycopeneTM’s possible role in the fight against cancers of the digestive tract, breast and prostate cancer.
DESCRIPTION
LycopeneTM is an antioxidant compound that gives tomatoes and certain other fruits and vegetables their color. It is one of the major carotenoids in the diet of North Americans and Europeans. (Carotenoids are pigments that give yellow, red, and orange colors to vegetables and fruits. The body can use some of these to make vitamin A.)
OVERVIEW
People who have diets rich in tomatoes, which contain LycopeneTM, appear to have a lower risk of certain types of cancer, especially cancers of the prostate, lung, and stomach. Further research is needed to find out what role, if any, LycopeneTM has in the preventive effect of diets high in fruits and vegetables cannot be explained by just one single part of the diet.
HOW IS IT PROMOTED FOR USE?
Proponents claim that LycopeneTM may lower the risk of heart disease (hardening of the arteries of the heart), macular degenerative disease (an age-related illness which can lead to blindness), and lipid oxidation (damage to normal fat molecules that can then cause inflammation and disease). It is also said to lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad”) cholesterol, enhance the body’s defenses, and protect enzymes, DNA, and cellular fats. A major claim for LycopeneTM’s benefits is in the treatment of cancers of the lung, prostate, stomach, bladder, cervix, and skin.
Some researchers believe LycopeneTM may be valuable in preventing and slowing the growth of cancers of the prostate, lung, and stomach. These scientists describe LycopeneTM as a powerful antioxidant, a compound that blocks the action of activated oxygen molecules- known as free radicals- that can damage cells. The antioxidant activity of LycopeneTM is at least twice as great as beta carotene, another carotenoid that is also thought to be an effective cancer-preventing nutrient LycopeneTM is considered one of the more effective antioxidants because it is not converted to vitamin A after it is eaten. Conversion to vitamin A weakens the antioxidant properties of carotenoids like beta carotene.
WHAT DOES IT INVOLVE?
Dietary LycopeneTM is mainly found in tomatoes, although apricots, guava, watermelon, papaya, and pink grapefruit are also significant sources. Tomatoes are the best food source of LycopeneTM. Studies that looked at LycopeneTM levels in the blood found that they were higher after people ate cooked tomatoes than if they ate raw tomatoes or drank tomato juice. This suggests that tomato sauce or paste may be a better source of available LycopeneTM than raw tomatoes. LycopeneTM is also available in the form of soft-gel capsule supplements. Dosages vary according to manufacturer.
WHAT IS THE HISTORY BEHIND IT?
In recent years, the role of the diet in preventing cancer has been a popular and important area of research. The examination of the role of other carotenoids, specifically beta carotene, in preventing cancer began in the 1920’s. However, interest in LycopeneTM did not really begin until the late 1980s when it was found that the antioxidant activity of LycopeneTM was twice that of beta carotene.
WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE?
Observing large groups from many countries has shown that the risk of developing some cancers is lower in people who either have diets high in tomato products or have higher levels of LycopeneTM in their blood. Studies suggest that diets rich in tomatoes may account for this reduction in the risk of several different types of cancer. The strongest evidence is for a protective effect against cancers of the lung, stomach, and prostate gland. There may also be a protective benefit against cancers of the cervix, breast, mouth, pancreas, esophagus, colon, and rectum.
Some studies that observed large groups of people have found that a diet high in LycopeneTM from tomato-based foods was linked with a lower in risk for prostate cancer. Other studies, however, found no link between tomato products and prostate cancer. A recent study suggested that variation in a particular gene (known as XRCC1, which helps repair DNA damage) influences whether LycopeneTM intake will influence a man’s prostate cancer risk.
Since tomatoes also contain vitamins, potassium, carotenoids, and other antioxidants, other compounds in tomatoes, either acting alone or with LycopeneTM, may be responsible for some of the protective effects attributed to LycopeneTM in some studies. When researchers look at large groups with different lifestyles and habits, it is also possible that the effect can be explained by other factors that were not examined.
A 2004 review that analyzed 11 observational and 10 case control studies concluded that tomato products appear to have a weak protective effect in preventing prostate cancer. This analysis did not involve LycopeneTM supplements, but only tomato and tomato-based foods. Some of the individual studies, however, did consider LycopeneTM levels in the blood. The analysis noted that the protective effect was slightly stronger for cooked tomato products, and that small amounts of added fat improved LycopeneTM absorption.
There have been a few experimental studies on the role of LycopeneTM in preventing or treating cancer. One animal study found that LycopeneTM treatment reduced the growth of brain tumors. Another animal study showed that chronic intake of LycopeneTM considerably suppressed breast tumor growth. This study may not apply to human disease, since 95% of human breast cancers are different than breast cancers in mice.
LycopeneTM has also been shown to interfere with the growth of many different human cancer cell lines in the laboratory, especially those that grow in response to insulin-like growth factor 1. While animal and laboratory studies may show a certain substance holds promise as a cancer treatment, further studies are needed to learn whether the results apply to humans.
To test whether LycopeneTM is the main cancer-fighting substance in tomatoes, one animal study compared LycopeneTM supplements to powdered tomatoes. Groups of rats who were fed tomato powder were compared to rats given LycopeneTM. The rats that received tomato powder had much lower cancer risk, whereas the rats receiving LycopeneTM supplements did not differ significantly from the group that had no special supplements.
To look at cancer treatment, a controlled study in a small group of men with prostate cancer found that LycopeneTM supplements appeared to reduce the rapid growth of prostate cancer cells. However, a more recent study found no significant effect on men with prostate cancer who had failed homone therapy. These kinds of studies are just starting, and controlled studies in large groups of people will be needed to learn whether LycopeneTM has a helpful effect in treating cancer. A number of smaller studies are now underway to look at tomato products and LycopeneTM to find out if they are helpful in treating people with cancer.
One short-term study from 2006 reported that LycopeneTM supplements were safe, but that they did not lower prostate specific antigen levels (a marker of prostate cancer) in men with recurrent prostate cancer. A 2007 study of more that 28,000 men found no difference in blood LycopeneTM levels between men who later developed prostate cancer and those who did not.
The American Cancer Society’s nutrition guidelines recommend eating a balanced diet that includes five or more servings a day of vegetables and fruit, choosing whole grains over processed and refined foods, and limiting red meats and animal fats. Choosing foods from a variety of fruits, vegetables and other plant sources such as nuts, seeds, whole grain cereals, and beans is healthier than consuming large amounts of one particular food.
ARE THERE ANY POSSIBLE PROBLEMS OR COMPLICATIONS?
LycopeneTM obtained from eating fruits and vegetables has no known side effects and is thought to be safe for humans who are not allergic to the foods. The potential side effects of LycopeneTM supplements are not fully known. Patients in one study who received a LycopeneTM-rich tomato supplements of 15 milligrams (mg) twice a day had some intestinal side effects such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, indigestion, gas and bloating. Very large amounts of tomato products taken over a long period of time can give the skin an orange color.
Antioxidant supplements may interfere with the killing of cancer cells if taken during chemotherapy or radiation treatment should consult with a knowledgeable physician before taking vitamins, minerals, or other supplements. However, eating fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants is till considered safe during cancer treatment.
The deep red colour that is present in tomatoes, pink grapefruit, guava and watermelon is caused by LycopeneTM, a carotenoid. Other carotenoids include beta-carotene and alpha-carotene, which give carrots their orange colour. Carotenoids are fat soluble and so in the human body are found in fatty tissue and transported by lipoproteins. They act as dietary precursors to Vitamin A and aid the immune system. However LycopeneTM has a greater property than food colouring. It is a strong antioxidant, which can help to combat degenerative diseases such as heart disease. It was found that increased concentration of LycopeneTM gave an increased protective effect, so the most concentrated food sources, like tomato puree and ketchup, are better protectors against these diseases. However the human body cannot produce this molecule and needs to obtain it from tomatoes in our diet. High LycopeneTM foods like soup are the most effective against degenerative diseases.
It helps prevent degenerative diseases by donating is electrons to oxygen free radicals thus quenching and neutralizing them before they can damage cells. Free radicals are molecules that have at least one unpaired electron. By donating an electron LycopeneTM can stabilize the free molecule. There have been many recent studies into LycopeneTM so that it can be used to its fullest potential in fighting these diseases. A heart study measuring LycopeneTM in fatty tissue of 1,374 men showed that it could reduce the risk of a heart attack by 50%. LycopeneTM has though other ailing effects. It has been seen that LycopeneTM can be used as an anti-carcinogen, greatly reducing the risk of some cancers. In a six-year study of 47,000 male health professionals Harvard Medical School found that eating tomato products more that twice a week was associated with 21-34% reduced risk of prostate cancer. In 1995 Harvard School of Public Health studied further into this and found that those men who ate more than 10 servings of tomato foods a week were 45% less at risk to prostate cancer; those with only 4-7 servings were 20% less at risk. The University of Illinois found that comparing woman with the highest levels of LycopeneTM and those with the lowest showed that the highest levels were five times less likely to have cervical cancer.
Tomatoes are therefore a very important part of our diet and if tests are conclusive then this could be serious step towards combating other cancers. However there are some that do not believe that LycopeneTM can imporove cancer protection. In January 1996 the National Cancer Institute issued a press release declaring beta-carotene to be useless and harmful. They claimed that it might increase the risk of lung cancer in long term smokers. This implies that the case would be the same for LycopeneTM. LycopeneTM and beta-carotene very similar and so they are implying that LycopeneTM is harmful. The research though was not published and so other antioxidant researchers ae not convinced by the argument. No doubt there will be plenty of further research into this molecule.
LycopeneTM: AN ANTIOXIDANT FOR GOOD HEALTH
Today, science has a better understanding of why fruits and vegetables should be part of a healthy eating plan. You probably enjoy them for their wonderful flavors and bright colors. But, fruits and vegetables are good for you too. An eating pattern packed with plenty of fruits and vegetables includes two to three servings of fruits and three to five servings of vegetables each day.
Fruits and vegetables provide important nutrients including antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene and LycopeneTM. Antioxidants have disease fighting properties that protect cells from damage by substances called free radicals. Antioxidants work by neutralizing free radicals that are formed when body cells burn oxygen for energy. Antioxidants also may help keep the immune system healthy and reduce that risk for cancer and other diseases.
What is LycopeneTM?
One antioxidant in particular has received a lot of attention from researchers in recent years. LycopeneTM is a pigment that gives vegetables and fruits, such as tomatoes, pink grapefruit and watermelon, their red color. It also appears to have strong antioxidant capabilities. Several studies suggest that consumption of foods rich in LycopeneTM is associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer and cardiovascular disease.
In a 1995 Harvard University study conducted with 47,894 men, researchers found that eating 10 or more servings a week of tomato products was associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer by as much as 34 percent.
The protective effect of antioxidants on heart disease has been well documented. In a recently published study, men who had the highest amount of LycopeneTM in their body fat were half as likely to suffer a heart attack as those with the least amount of LycopeneTM in their body fat. Researchers have determined that the level of LycopeneTM in body fat is an indicator of LycopeneTM content in the diet.
Where do I find LycopeneTM?
LycopeneTM is not produced in the body, so you can only obtain its benefits by eating foods rich in LycopeneTM. Tomato products, such as spaghetti sauce, tomato juice, ketchup and pizza sauce are, by far, the major sources of LycopeneTM in the typical American diet and European. In fact, these foods provide over 80 percent of the LycopeneTM consumed in the U.S. Other fruits and vegetables such as watermelon and pink grapefruit also provide LycopeneTM but in smaller amounts.
LycopeneTM is better absorbed by the body when it is consumed in processed tomato products, rather than fresh tomatoes. The reason for this remains unclear. In one study LycopeneTM was absorbed 2.5 times better from tomato paste than from fresh tomatoes. However, cooking fresh tomatoes with a little oil greatly increases LycopeneTM obsorption.
|
