Lycopene. Do You Know What It Is?

Tomatoes have long been known for their health benefits -- courtesy of lycopene, an antioxidant carotenoid whose health benefits include reduced risk of cancer, atherosclerosis, and exercise-induced asthma, just to mention a few.

Lycopene gives tomatoes their red color, and works by fighting damaging free radicals in your body.

But there are at least a couple of caveats that you need to be aware of.

First, researchers have discovered that other chemicals in the tomatoes help to boost the effectiveness of the lycopene, so you likely will not obtain the same health effects from lycopene supplements. In general, I am opposed to taking many supplements. I believe that it is far better to consume large amounts of whole foods, as outlined in my nutrition plan, and this is no exception.

Secondly, in order to absorb its nutrients, you need to eat your tomatoes with a little bit of fat.

It’s interesting to note that the lycopene in cooked tomatoes has been found to be more bioavailable than raw tomatoes, which is in partial conflict with the principle that raw foods are better.

However, tomatoes likely contain additional beneficial substances that are lost or destroyed when the tomatoes are cooked, especially if they undergo additional processing. So substituting ketchup, for example, for fresh tomatoes will not do you any good (for a variety of reasons).

But tomatoes are not the only food containing beneficial lycopene. Below is a table listing the lycopene content of several foods:

Approximate Lycopene Content of Various Foods
Food Lycopene Content
(mg/100g wet weight)
Apricot, dried 0.86
Grapefruit, raw pink 3.36
Guava, fresh 5.40
Guava juice 3.34
Papaya, fresh 2.00-5.30
Tomatoes, fresh 0.88-4.20
Tomatoes, cooked 3.70
Tomato sauce 6.20
Tomato paste 5.40-150.00
Tomato soup, condensed 7.99
Tomato powder, drum or spray dried 112.63-126.49
Tomato juice 5.00-11.60
Sun-dried tomato in oil 46.50
Watermelon, fresh 2.30-7.20

Source: Clinton, -S.K.1998. Lycopene: Chemistry, Biology, and Implications for human health and disease, Nutrition Review,56(2)P35-51

Carotenoids, such as lycopene, are the pigments responsible for red, yellow, and orange colored fruits and vegetables. They’re also found in some dark green vegetables such as spinach.

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Dave Kazda
Health Educator/Healer
Aromatologist
Herbalist
Quantum Touch Therapist
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