lycopene

Topic summary contributed by volunteer(s): Lynn

As a phytonutrient, lycopene (the red pigment in tomatoes) may help prevent the occurrence of cervical cancer and asthma, as well as reduce symptoms of depression in individuals. Smoothies may allow phytonutrients such as lycopene to be absorbed more effectively.

For substantiation of any statements of fact from the peer-reviewed medical literature, please see the associated videos below.

14 videos

All Videos for Lycopene

Pros and Cons of Raw Food Diets

Is there an advantage to eating a raw plant-based diet over a diet of raw and cooked whole plant foods?

Onions and Tomatoes Put to the Test for Osteoporosis

Beyond the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and alkaline-forming qualities of fruits and vegetables in general, are there extra benefits our bones can get from particular produce?

Best Food for Periodontal Disease and Gingivitis

What would happen if you stopped brushing your teeth but ate healthier?

Tomato Sauce vs. Prostate Cancer

What happened when cancer patients were given three quarters of a cup of canned tomato sauce every day for three weeks?

Lycopene Supplements vs. Prostate Cancer

High doses of lycopene—the red pigment in tomatoes—were put to the test to see if it could prevent precancerous prostate lesions from turning into full-blown cancer.

Are Green Smoothies Good for You?

Smoothies (and blended soups and sauces) offer a convenient way to boost both the quantity and quality of fruit and vegetable intake by reducing food particle size to help maximize nutrient absorption.

Antioxidants and Depression

Neither antioxidant or folic acid supplements seem to help with mood, but the consumption of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables and folate-rich beans and greens may lower the risk for depression.

selection of produce on white background

Treating Asthma with Fruits and Vegetables

Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption to seven servings a day appears to cut asthma exacerbation rates in half, whereas restricting consumption to Standard American Diet levels leads to a significant worsening of lung function and asthma control.

Why Might Vegetarians Have Less HPV?

Most young women get infected with human papilloma virus, the cause of cervical cancer, but most are able to clear the infection before the virus causes cancer. What dietary changes can improve viral clearance?

Prevent Glaucoma and See 27 Miles Farther

The risk of glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindness, appears to be dramatically reduced by kale or collard greens consumption, thanks to the phytonutrient pigments lutein and zeaxanthin.

The Fruit Whose Juice Is Healthier

Can you name a fruit whose processed juice is healthier than just eating the fruit itself?

variety of raw veggies around a cooking pot

Raw Veggies vs. Cooked for Heart Disease

Fruit and vegetable consumption is associated with a lower risk of heart disease. But which is more protective—raw or cooked?

Pretty in Pee-nk

Beeturia, the passage of pink urine after beetroot consumption, is a reminder that phytonutrients circulate throughout our bloodstream—explaining the connection between “garlic breath,” and the use of garlic as an adjunct treatment for pneumonia.

Raw Food Diet Myths

Some nutrients are destroyed by cooking, but some nutrients become more absorbable.