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Antioxidant and Free Radical Scavenger
As an Antioxidant, Lycopene has a singlet-oxygen-quenching ability twice as high as that of beta-carotene which was regarded as an antioxidant without peer and ten times higher than that of alpha-tocopherol. Lycopene is also the best quencher of a particular type of destructive free radical called singlet-oxygen.
Free radicals are agreed upon by leading health experts to be the prime cause of serious diseases including; cancer, blocking of the arteries (atherosclerosis), ageing (associated with age related joint deterioration), nervous system degradation arthritis, heart disease, cataracts, skin wrinkling and even the ageing process itself. In various laboratory studies, Lycopene has been found to possess the most protective effects against free radical damage.
Some free radicals are formed through normal metabolic processes, but our modern day free radical overload is the result of exposure to pollutants, cigarette smoke, pesticides on food, stress, muscle contraction during exercise, Smoking cigarettes, Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, exposure to x-rays, exposure to UVA sunlight, especially if sunburned, taking some drugs - especially antibiotics or paracetamol, radiation and many other everyday elements of environmental pollution.
It is this free radical bombardment that has made antioxidants so important to our health and avoidance of disease “Antioxidants attach to the free radicals through their unpaired electrons and form a complex that prevents cell destruction and is easily cleaned out as waste by our body. The result is less cell damage and a healthier immune system, among other benefits.” Reports: U.S. Pharmacist magazine.
Over the last few years tumor incidence rates in populations of various parts of the world have been steadily increasing. Apart from hereditary factors, this ailment is associated with unhealthy living and an unbalanced diet, which statistics reports cause approximately 80% of tumors. Furthermore, diets high in fat and calories and low on vitamins combined with lack of exercise mainly results in a higher risk of bowel cancer. Smoking and eating contaminated foodstuffs is much more common today and is inducing the increased incidence of lung cancer, stomach cancer and liver cancer. Moreover, diseases of all kinds may occur due to the growing stresses of urban living, as well as various psychological factors.
Whereas tumors are caused by a weakened immune system, Lycopene may protect phagocyte cells against oxidation-induced damage. It stimulates proliferation of the lymphatic T and B-cells as well as their proper function. It may also improve the effectiveness of macro phagocytes, cytoxic T-cells and killer cells that destroy cancer cells; thus reducing the oxidation-induced damage for DNA of lymphatic cells.
Lycopene has also exhibited important antioxidant properties; it may slow ageing and protect skin. Since ageing is a natural process for humans, there is no way to prevent it, but there are certain ways to slow it. Ageing, is a process of metabolic disturbances. The intimate knowledge of various factors that affect metabolism, as well as the reasons for their persistence, is of primary importance.
Free radicals are the main oxidizing compounds in the human organism which causes ageing and related diseases. A lot of studies have shown Lycopene to be the most potent antioxidant among individuals over thirty.
Working as a powerful antioxidant, Lycopene fights free radicals--highly reactive molecules that damage cell membranes, attack DNA, and cause disease. Studies have found that patients with HIV infection, inflammatory diseases, and high cholesterol levels (with and without lipid-lowering treatment) may have depleted Lycopene serum (blood) levels. In contrast to other Carotenoids, serum levels of Lycopene are not usually reduced by smoking or alcohol consumption but rather by increasing age.
Lycopene is used to help prevent the following: Prostate Cancer, Liver cancer, breast cancer, cancers of the lung, and stomach. Data is also suggestive of a benefit for cancers of the pancreas, colon, rectum, oesophagus, oral cavity, large bowel, ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, gastric cancer, mouth cancer and oral leukoplakia.
Studies have also investigated the relationship and/or use of Lycopene for cataracts, longevity, malaria, immune modulation, Alzheimer's disease, preeclampsia, exercise-induced asthma, helps reduce blood pressure, antioxidant and sunscreen in one, helps improve fertility in men, reduction of atherosclerosis which is important in preventing heart attacks and stroke.
Lycopene can help unblock clogged arteries, easing blood flow to the brain and heart. Other studies suggest that it protects the skin against sun damage due to a filtering of the harmful UV radiation, protects the eyes by deterring macular degeneration, a cause of vision loss in older people, less prone to clogged arteries and heart disease, helps detoxify bad LDL cholesterol, hindering plaque building, anti-aging nourishment for the brain. In a classic study, elderly women with the highest Lycopene blood levels remained the most mentally and physically active and finally it protects ageing cells against damage. Recent research suggests that Lycopene may help fight osteoporosis.
