Important New Research on The Tomato-Derived Antioxidant - Carotenoid, Beneficial For Immune System and Respiratory Health.
Lycopene is an antioxidant pigment found in tomatoes, grapefruit and watermelon that gives these foods their natural reddish color. Studies show that including lycopene-rich foods in your diet may help to reduce the risk of prostate and breast cancer, macular degeneration and cardiovascular disease.
Lycopene may also help prevent osteoporosis and reduce the severity of allergy symptoms, as well as asthma.
To assure optimum daily intake of this key antioxidant, experts recommend using Lycopene supplements and there are many delicious ways to get the recommended amounts of 25 to 75 mg of Lycopene each day in your diet.
Here Are A Few Recommendations...
Spaghetti Sauce:
Lycopene is easiest to absorb from cooked or processed tomatoes. One half cup of spaghetti sauce or marinara sauce has over 20 milligrams of lycopene. Make a healthy meal by serving with whole grain pasta and a garden salad.
Tomato Juice:
Drinking tomato juice as a beverage is another delicious way to get lycopene. One cup of tomato juice has over 20 mg of lycopene, is low in calories and tomato juice also has plenty of vitamin A and vitamin C. Look for brands of Tomato Juice that are organic and lower in sodium. Add a dash or two of red pepper sauce for a little extra taste.
Big Juicy Slice of Watermelon:
Simply take a large watermelon and cut it into 12 to 16 slices. Each slice has about 13 milligrams of lycopene. It's also a delicious source of potassium, vitamin C and vitamin A.
Supplements of lycopene may protect against inflammation in the lungs and reduce the risk of developing asthma, suggest results from a laboratory-controlled study.
The carotenoid, most commonly derived from tomatoes, was found to decrease the response of inflammatory cytokines in the lungs of lab subjects, as well as a two-fold decrease in the number of eosinophils - white blood cells associated with an allergic or asthmatic immune response, according to findings published in The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry.
"This study provides evidence that dietary supplementation with lycopene prior to and during the onset of allergic airways disease may be of clinical benefit in reducing eosinophilic infiltrates both in the lungs and systemically," wrote the researchers from the University of Newcastle, United Kingdom.
The scientists used ingredient supplier- Lycored's Lyc-O-Mato lycopene at a dose that would equate to about 50 mg per day for a human.
As an antioxidant, lycopene has been shown to have heart, blood pressure, prostate, osteoporosis, skin and other benefits and is used in food supplements as well as cosmeceutical applications.
The University of Newcastle scientists modeled the effects of lycopene on allergic inflammation to people who suffer from asthma.
The subjects were divided into two groups: one received a normal diet and water, while the other received additional lycopene (Lyc-O-Mato). The subjects subsequently inhaled ovalbumin in order to induce asthma-like symptoms in their lungs.
Results showed that the lycopene-rich supplementation reduced eosinophilic infiltrates in the lung fluid, tissue and blood. Furthermore, levels of inflammatory cytokines IL-4 and IL-5, which were found to increase in the control group, were also reduced following lycopene supplementation.
"We conclude that supplementation with lycopene reduces allergic inflammation both in the lungs and systemically, by decreasing cytokine responses," wrote the researchers.
"Thus, lycopene supplementation may have a protective effect against asthma," they concluded.
Source: The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry
Published online 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2009.12.003
