Is lycopene really healthy?

Lycopene has the role of preventing and inhibiting tumors, on the one hand, because of its antioxidant effect; on the other hand, lycopene is able to block tissue cells in the role of external mutagens under the process of gene mutation, which is one of the important mechanisms of tumor generation. Experiments have found that lycopene can affect the S phase of the cell cycle of breast, lung and uterine cancer; lycopene affects cell growth by inhibiting the GI to S transition phase of the cell cycle. Studies have shown that lycopene has a certain inhibitory effect on digestive tract cancer, cervical cancer, breast cancer, skin cancer, bladder cancer and so on.

Some researchers have suggested that lycopene has the potential to prevent cardiovascular disease due to its ability to protect LDL from oxidative damage regulating cholesterol metabolism. Studies have confirmed that taking natural lycopene can lower serum cholesterol, and that preventing high cholesterol or hyperlipidemia with lycopene can slow the progression of cardiovascular disease. Another study found that patients with hyperlipidemia who did not receive lipid-lowering therapy had lower serum lycopene and a-carotene concentrations than normal people.

The antioxidant effect of lycopene can effectively inhibit oxidative damage to lipids, proteins, enzymes and DNA. Such as lycopene can protect the skin from ultraviolet light damage, when the skin is exposed to ultraviolet light irradiation, lycopene in the skin can be preferentially combined with free radicals, thus protecting the tissues and cells in the skin to avoid damage due to oxidation. Recent studies have found that limiting UV exposure can reduce the concentration of lycopene in the skin by 31% to 46%, which infers that the lycopene in the skin plays a role in preventing UV and may also be involved in the process of defending the skin against carcinogenesis.

Scientific experiments have shown that lycopene can improve the quality of sperm in men. It was found that infertile men between the ages of 23 and 45 years old took lycopene orally twice a day at 2 mg each time, and after three months of experimentation, the concentration, motility and shape of the subjects' spermatozoa were examined and found to be good. Lycopene, has a positive effect in the treatment of unexplained male infertility.

Lycopene as an antioxidant can significantly reduce the oxidative damage to lymphocyte DNA caused by peroxidation in the body, slowing down the formation of atherosclerosis and other functions, and its role is 100 times that of vitamin E. Experiments have shown that ingestion of tomatoes in the population, lymphocytes in vitro with hydrogen peroxide treatment, DNA damage can be reduced by 33% and 42%. Scientists study the daily diet of tomato juice 25g (containing lycopene 7mg, B-carotene 0.3mg) of nine normal adult women for 14d, plasma and lymphocytes in the concentration of lycopene increased significantly, the lymphocyte DNA damage is reduced by about 50%, while the concentration of B-carotene only in the plasma increased.