for you
Jane E Brody
The buzzword of a few years ago was beta carotene, a substance found in fruits and vegetables that was supposed to protect against cancer. Then scientific studies showed no particular benefit from taking beta carotene in pill form. Now it seems another substance in fruits and vegetables may account for the health protection long associated with eating carotene-rich foods.
It is called lycopene, and it is what makes tomatoes red. A large new study of 1 379 European men has indicated that those who consumed the most lycopene from foods were half as likely to suffer a heart attack as those who consumed the least lycopene.
The study is especially valuable because it assessed lycopene consumption and absorption by measuring its presence in body fat rather than by using the less reliable method of asking men how much lycopene-rich food they ate regularly.
Like beta carotene, lycopene is fat- soluble. Dietary fat is needed for it to be absorbed through the intestines, and the amount stored in body fat is considered a reliable reflection of how much people absorb from their diets. Lycopene’s protective role, however, stems not from fat stores but from its ability as a potent antioxidant, which means it can prevent free-radical damage to cells, molecules and genes as it circulates in the blood. Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that can combine with other substances and change them in a harmful way.
Lycopene is most prominent in tomatoes. But it is not well absorbed into the body unless the tomatoes are cooked. Thus, the best sources are concentrated processed tomato products like tomato paste, ketchup and tomato sauce. Other sources include watermelon, red grapefruit and, to a lesser extent, shellfish like lobster and crab meat. – New York Times
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