Lycopene – The promising substance of tomatoes

Lycopene is a carotenoid that has long been studied for its beneficial properties on human health.

Although lycopene has no proven effect on human health problems, some research suggests that it may be effective against cancer, obesity and certain metabolic disorders.

Lycopene is found naturally in certain red fruits and vegetables, and tomatoes in particular are high in the substance.

On this page you can read about why lycopene is healthy for the body, but also what you can do to get more lycopene in your daily diet.

Lycopene's effect on the body

There is no evidence that lycopene can be used to treat or alleviate any diseases or other health problems. Although there are several studies that have shown that lycopene can be used to counteract various health problems, these studies have either been flawed or their results have been inconsistent with the results of other studies.

However, there has been a lot of research into the effects of lycopene on various diseases, and the results for certain diseases and health problems – such as diabetes, cancer, metabolic disorders, obesity and the symptoms of menopause – seem promising.

Lycopene's effects on the following have been studied, among others:

Cancer diseases

Other diseases

How to get more lycopene

As mentioned, lycopene's ability to prevent and counteract various diseases is now recognized. Therefore, it is beneficial to strive to include more lycopene in your diet – and this can be done by, for example

• Drinking tomato juice regularly
• Using tomatoes more often in food – both raw and cooked
• Also adding sun-dried tomatoes to your food
• Eating other fruits and vegetables that contain lycopene such as watermelon, pink grapefruit and papaya
• Eating ketchup or salsa in burgers, chips, etc. (but keep in mind the general dietary guidelines)
• Eating Italian tomato-based specialties such as bruschetta (baguette with sun-dried tomato paste), tomato salad, tomato soup, etc.

Foods that contain lycopene

The best source of lycopene is tomatoes and tomato-based products. The table below shows the estimated lycopene content in different foods:

Product	Serving size	Lycopene (mg per serving)
Tomato juice	250 ml (1 cup)	25,0
Ketchup	15 ml (1 tbsp.)	2,7
Spaghetti sauce	125 ml (1/2 cup)	28,1
Tomato concentrate	30 ml (2 tbsp.)	13,8
Tomato soup (condensed)	250 ml (prepared)	9,7
Chili sauce	30 ml (2 tbsp.)	6,7
Cocktail sauce	30 ml (2 tbsp.)	5,9
Watermelon	368 g (1 slice of 25 x 2 cm)	14,7
Pink grapefruit	123 g (1/2 grapefruit)	4,9
Raw tomato	123 g (1 medium-sized)	3,7

Source: pcrm.org

How the body absorbs lycopene

Although it is not yet fully understood how the body absorbs lycopene, some studies have shown that lycopene from tomatoes is best absorbed if the tomatoes are heated (e.g. in a tomato sauce or consumed in the form of products such as ketchup, tomato concentrate, etc.) and served in a meal containing fat (e.g. olive oil).

The aforementioned studies also highlight that lycopene concentrations in the body are not affected by smoking (unlike other carotenoids, whose levels are generally 18-44% lower in smokers than non-smokers). Although the full relationship between smoking, antioxidants and lycopene is not known, this may have an impact on the health benefits of lycopene.

Side effects and risks

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

You can eat foods containing lycopene (such as tomatoes and tomato products) during pregnancy and breastfeeding, but you should not take lycopene supplements if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. One study has shown that a daily supplement of 2 mg of lycopene from 12-20 weeks gestation until birth increases the risk of premature and underweight babies.

Not enough is known about the effects of lycopene during breastfeeding and all forms of supplementation are therefore not recommended during this period either.

Prostate cancer

Some preliminary research has shown that lycopene may exacerbate existing prostate cancer by increasing the spread of cancer without affecting the growth of cancer cells. Therefore, it is not recommended to take lycopene supplements if you have prostate cancer.