Lycopene: Overview, Uses, Side Effects, Precautions
What is Lycopene?
Lycopene is one of the natural compounds, which is found in almost all the bright red fruits and vegetables such as tomato, watermelon and grape fruit.
Lycopene is also considered a carotenoid, which are yellow, red or orange pigments that gives color to the plants accordingly.
Lycopene also gives many health benefits and in preventing variety of diseases. Tomato products contains highest amounts of the lycopene. The substances like Ketchup, tomato juice and the pizza sauce contain lycopene which is also most commonly used in the average diet of every individual.
Cardiovascular disorders are now a days play a peak role increasing the mortality rate across the country, while consuming the nutritious foods and improving the life style factors also plays an important role in preventing such conditions.
Lycopene plays a great role in acting as an anti-inflammatory action and in reducing the risk of heart diseases. Dietary lycopene is considered as an important factor in conferring the cardio vascular significant.
However, vascular health of the individual plays an important role in improving the endothelial function of the body and in stiffening the arteries and in inducing the growth of atherosclerotic plaques, this can be prevented by improving the lycopene intake in our body.
Lycopene Benefits
One of the most important amounts of lycopene is it is an antioxidant which protects the body from damaging the free radical stress, that hurts the DNA and the other structures of the cell. These antioxidant properties play an important role in balancing the free radical activities in the body which helps us to protect against certain diseases like and also in strengthening our bones, improving our eyesight’s, preventing cataracts and muscular degenerations and preventing other age-related eye disorders.
Lycopene and Cancer
Lycopene also plays an important role in preventing the growth of cancer and in initiating the synthesis of enzymes in our body which breaks down the cancer-causing agents in our body. It is also to be considered that every fruits and vegetables has the capability to prevent the cancer, in that lycopene also plays one of its roles.
The people who take higher amount of lycopene reduces the risk of cancer in our body and also benefits by nourishing various factors in our body. Lycopene also helps us to prevent the stroke which are due to age factors and blood clotting.
Apart from these, lycopene also plays a role in reducing the cholesterol level in our body and in reducing the inflammations. When lycopene combines with other carotenoids, it helps our body to protect our body against ultra violet radiations which are caused by the sun. Clinically Lycopene plays an important role in acting as an antioxidant and preventing the cancer inducing substances in our body.
Lycopene Side Effects
However, we consume lycopene in our day-to-day life on the regular basis, Lycopene is safe and edible, but on the other hand, when lycopene is taken in excess, it leads to a condition called lycopene, which causes the orange or red discoloration in the skin. This condition is harmless and this condition degrades on reducing the lycopene in the diet.
It is often suggested that pregnant women should not intake lycopene in higher amounts, and also during breast feeding. It also increases the risk of premature births and the babies may be lower in weight.
Lycopene also increases the risk of bleeding when it is consumed at high levels while consuming certain medications like aspirin, antiplatelet drugs, nonsteroidal anti. inflammatory drugs, anticoagulants etc.
It also leads to bleeding when lycopene is mixed with herbs such as ginkgo biloba. Hence, the persons who are consuming medicines for lowering the blood pressure should avoid taking lycopene, as lycopene plays a major role in reducing the blood pressure.
Lycopene should also not be mixed with the herbs that are used to treat the asthma, cancer, inflammations, cholesterol, inducing fertility, and also while taking medicines for problems in the heart, lung and stomach or any disorders in the immune system or in the nervous system or in case of any skeletal damage.
On consuming lycopene with Beta-carotene, calcium and Lutein it decreases the amount of lycopene that is absorbed by the gut. On consuming alcohol while intaking the lycopene decreases the ability of the body to develop immunity against certain diseases.
People who have lower amount of lycopene in the diet take it in the form of a medications or supplements, which will be easy for the body to absorb and also plays the same role as the dietary lycopene that is consumed like preventing the inflammatory diseases and the other cardio vascular diseases like hardening of the arteries and increasing the breast, lung and the cancers formed in bladders and in ovaries.
It also aids in improving the bone health and good oral health; thus, lycopene is considered as one of the important compounds that is needed for our body as of other vitamins and minerals.
Lycopene Citations
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