LYCOPENE
Lycopene is a bright red carotenoid pigment and phytochemical found in tomatoes and other red fruits & vegetables, such as red carrots, watermelons and papayas (but not strawberries or cherries). Lycopene is not an essential nutrient for humans, but is commonly found in the diet, mainly from dishes prepared with tomato sauce. When absorbed from the stomach, Lycopene is transported in the blood by various lipoproteins and accumulates in the liver, adrenal glands, and testes.
Because preliminary research has shown an inverse correlation between consumption of tomatoes and cancer risk, Lycopene has been considered a potential agent for prevention of some types of cancers, particularly prostate cancer. However, this area of research and the relationship with prostate cancer have been deemed insufficient of evidence for health claim approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (see below under Antioxidant properties and potential health benefits).
Dietary sources of Lycopene |
|
Source |
μg/g wet weight |
Gac |
2,000–2,300 |
|
|
Raw tomato |
8.8–42 |
Tomato juice |
86–100 |
Tomato sauce |
63–131 |
Tomato ketchup |
124 |
Watermelon |
23–72 |
Pink grapefruit |
3.6–34 |
Pink Guava |
54 |
Papaya |
20–53 |
Rosehip puree |
7.8 |
Apricot |
< 0.1 |
(Sources: United States Department of Agriculture/ Wikipedia)
