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	What is lycopene?
	Lycopene is one of a family of pigments called carotenoids, which occur naturally in fruits and vegetables. Other carotenoids include alpha- and beta-carotene, lutein, etc. Lycopene is the pigment that makes tomatoes red. The redder the tomato, the more lycopene is present. Numerous studies suggest that lycopene levels in the blood may be associated with reduced incidence of prostate, digestive tract, breast, lung and cervical cancer as well as cardiovascular disease and age-related macular degeneration - the most common form of blindness for elderly people in the western world.
	Does it prevent cancer?
	Cancer risk is determined by many factors, however diet is an important one. The importance of eating fresh and processed fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy diet has been well recognized for some time. Tomatoes and tomato products, proven to be rich in lycopene - a powerful antioxidant that picks up free radicals in the body - can play a key role in that process. And while it is still too early to conclude that any single food can prevent cancer, the research to date is both promising and exciting.
	How does it work?
	Lycopene is an antioxidant that once absorbed by the body, helps to prevent and repair damaged cells. Antioxidants are compounds that fight free radicals in the body and have been shown to inhibit DNA oxidation that some studies indicate may lead to some cancers
	How can I get more lycopene?
	The human body does not produce lycopene, but it's readily available through the diet. Minor sources include guava, rosehip, watermelon and pink grapefruit, but about 85% of dietary lycopene comes from tomatoes and tomato products such as sauce, pizza paste, ketchup, juice, and soup. Research confirms that lycopene from tomatoes is absorbed much better into the bloodstream if it is first heat processed.
	What kind of benefits can I get from lycopene?
	As lycopene levels in the blood increase, the levels of oxidized compounds decrease. Regular high consumption of fruits and vegetables is recommended as part of healthy eating. Epidemiological studies have shown that high intake of lycopene-containing vegetables is inversely associated with the 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
	What proof is available that lycopene has these benefits?
	In recent years, numerous studies have indicated that a lycopene-rich diet is associated with a risk of certain chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease, including: Human studies conducted at the University of Toronto on dietary lycopene confirmed that it acts as an antioxidant. As lycopene levels in the blood go up, the levels of oxidized lipoprotein, protein and DNA compounds go down. This, in turn, may lower the risk of cancer and heart disease. A study of 48,000 men by Harvard Medical School estimated that consuming tomato products twice a week, as opposed to never, was associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer of up to 34%. Of 46 fruits and vegetables evaluated, only tomato products showed a measurable relationship with reduced prostate cancer risk. Research conducted into breast, lung and endometrial cancer at Ben Gurion University and Soroka Medical Center in Israel shows that lycopene is even more effective than its cousins, alpha- and beta-carotene, in causing a delay in the cell cycle progression from one growth phase to the next. A study, conducted by the University of North Carolina, compared fat samples from 1,379 American and European men who had suffered a heart attack with those of healthy men. It found that those with high levels of lycopene were half as likely to have an attack as those with low levels. Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is the most common form of blindness for elderly people in the western world. Lycopene is the only micro-nutrient whose serum level is shown to be inversely related to the risk of ARMD.
	Can't I get the same benefits from eating fresh tomatoes?
	Yes, tomatoes are rich in lycopene, however cooking fresh tomatoes with a little oil will enhance the body's absorption of lycopene. Research confirms that the lycopene in tomatoes is converted by the temperature change involved in processing to a form that the body can absorb more easily. A study showed that lycopene is absorbed 2.5 times better from tomato paste than from fresh tomatoes.
	How much do I have to eat to make a difference?
	To date, no nutritional authority has published recommendations for lycopene intake. More research is needed before lycopene's full public health benefits can be determined and intake guidelines developed. However, based on recent evidence, many health professionals now advocate a diet rich in processed tomato products. Processed tomato products should be part of the five-to-ten servings per day of the fruit and vegetable group suggested by the Food Guide to Healthy Eating promoted in most industrialized countries
	Are there products other than tomatoes that contain lycopene?
	Rosehip, red grapefruit, guava and watermelon also contain lycopene, however processed tomato products are usually the highest food sources of dietary lycopene.
	Does any medical body or organization endorse lycopene?
	At present, health regulatory authorities do not recognize lycopene as a nutrient. More detailed population studies of lycopene and wide-ranging clinical and biological research are needed to establish any direct health benefits. Several such studies are now underway in different parts of the world. Researchers hope to determine the role tomato products and lycopene play in disease prevention. However because the early research indicates that consumption of lycopene shows great promise in reducing the risk of several diseases, including heart disease and certain types of cancer, more and more medical professionals recommend the consumption of lycopene-rich tomato products.
	What other research is being conducted?
	Current studies are looking at the relationship between dietary lycopene, oxidative stress and cancer risk. The studies will further examine the role of lycopene as an antioxidant in preventing cancers of the breast, prostate, colon, cervix, lung, skin, and digestive tract as well as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and aging degenerative diseases of the eye.

• Lycopene may also help lower the risk of prostate cancer. 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. Of 46 fruits and vegetables evaluated, only the tomato products (which contain large quantities of lycopene) showed a measurable relationship to reduce prostate cancer risk. As consumption of tomato products increased, levels of lycopene in the blood increased, and the risk for prostate cancer decreased. In 2002, a Harvard Medical School follow-up study confirmed the previous results revealing frequent tomato product consumption is associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer. Data compiled from 1986 to 1998 show two or more servings a week of tomato sauce is associated with up to a 36 per cent lower risk of prostate cancer. Tomato sauce alone was more strongly related to prostate cancer risk than any dietary pattern associated with tomato sauce. Dietary variables such as body mass index, smoking, physical activity, alcohol use, and olive oil use were controlled.

• Researchers from the University of Illinois suggest tomato sauce, and possibly the lycopene present in tomato sauce, may play a role in the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer. In 32 prostate cancer patients, recruited from the Westside Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital in Chicago, the consumption of tomato sauce-based pasta dishes for three weeks (30 mg of lycopene per day) resulted in reduced oxidative DNA damage in prostate tissue and leukocytes. Serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, a marker for prostate cancer, were also significantly decreased.
  
  
• A study conducted by Wayne State University and Karmanos Cancer Institute evaluated the effect of lycopene on patients with prostate cancer. The study involved 30 men with localized prostate cancer scheduled for surgical removal of the prostate. In a three-week period prior to surgery, participants randomly received either 15 mg of lycopene (as a pure tomato extract) twice daily or no intervention at all. Following surgery, the tissues were analyzed. The study demonstrated that tumours in the treated group were smaller than the group that received no treatment, and serum levels of PSA decreased in the group that received lycopene. As well, tumours in the patients who received lycopene showed regression and decreased malignancy.
  
  
• In a recent review of 72 studies, Dr. Edward Giovannucci at the Harvard School of Public Health reported that 57 of these studies demonstrated that a high intake of blood lycopene level was able to reduce the risk of a number of cancers. The evidence was strongest for prostate, lung and stomach cancers. Plasma lycopene levels were significantly lower in prostate cancer patients than in controls. These results lend support to findings showing lycopene as one of the most effective carotenoids in lowering prostate cancer risk.                                                                                       
• More recent studies in different parts of the world have provided support to these earlier findings. The mechanism by which lycopene exerts itself in the fight against prostate cancer is actively researched.

Antioxidant Lycopene Works Better When Tomatoes Are Processed such as in a pizza

September 30, 1997
A year-long study conducted by the University of Toronto on dietary lycopene - an open-chain unsaturated carotenoid, or compound, that gives tomatoes their rich red colour - has confirmed that lycopene acts as an antioxidant and may be associated with a lower risk of certain chronic diseases including cancer. In addition, research confirmed that the absorption of lycopene in tomatoes by the body is actually enhanced when the tomatoes are processed into juice, sauces and other products.

"In this study we demonstrated that lycopene from tomato juice is indeed bioavailable, is an in-vivo antioxidant and lowers biomolecular oxidation. What this means is that lycopene is not only easily absorbed by the body but it maintains its antioxidant properties," says Dr. A. Venket Rao, Professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, who conducted the independent medical research.

In the body, lycopene is deposited in the liver, lungs, prostate gland, colon and skin. Its concentration in body tissues tends to be higher than all other carotenoids. Rao says his research shows that as lycopene levels in the blood go up, the levels of oxidized compounds go down. In addition, research confirmed that the absorption of lycopene in tomatoes is actually enhanced by processing, particularly with a small amount of oil. "The chemical form of lycopene found in tomatoes is converted by the temperature changes involved in processing tomatoes into juice, sauces and paste. This chemical conversion allows the body to absorb it more easily," explains Dr. Rao.

Nineteen healthy subjects (ten male and nine female), ranging in age from 25 to 40-years-old participated in what the scientific community calls a randomized cross-over study. The study was conducted in four phases, during which time subjects avoided the consumption of tomatoes, tomato products and other sources of lycopene. During three of the phases, subjects were given varying degrees of lycopene (0, 75 mg or 150 mg per day) in a capsule form. The level of lycopene in their blood was then measured against levels when the same subjects did not take lycopene in capsules, but instead drank 540 mL (about two glasses) of tomato juice per day. "The results showed that lycopene levels were higher when subjects were consuming tomato juice, thus proving that lycopene is better absorbed by the body when it is processed into juice than when it is consumed in its pure form," says Rao.

"This study represents an important breakthrough in the scientific research on lycopene," says Dr. David Yeung, "We have been very interested in investigating the notion that processing actually enhances the absorption of lycopene in tomatoes by the body. The results now demonstrate the protective role lycopene can play and its association with reduced risk of certain cancers and heart disease.

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