Tomato Casual » What’s the Deal With Lycopene?: Health Benefits of Tomatoes

What’s the Deal With Lycopene?: Health Benefits of Tomatoes - TomatoCasual.com By Michelle Fabio

You may have noticed that many ketchup bottles proudly display that they contain lots of lycopene.

But what does that mean?

Lycopene is nature’s most powerful nutritional antioxidant, which means that it reduces the amount of damage done to body cells by oxygen—damage that can eventually lead to cancers, heart disease, and other illnesses.

Lycopene is also what gives tomatoes (and watermelons and strawberries) their rich red color.

A famous Harvard University study found that diets rich in tomato and tomato product consumption could lower the risk of prostate cancer in men up to 35%. In other studies, lycopene has been shown to help prevent macular degenerative disease (a breakdown of part of the retina), cardiovascular disease, and cancers of the digestive tract, lung, bladder, cervix, and skin.

As of now there are no published reports that suggest ingesting too much lycopene is dangerous.

Because of lycopene’s enormous potential benefits, eating tomatoes and tomato-based products may not only be a delicious pastime, but also a smart, healthy choice.