ABSTRACT
Currently, an increase in the awareness of a healthy lifestyle has been observed in society. People are seeking added health benefits from their dietary intake. Thus, functional foods with supplemented components that promote wellness are becoming popular. Lycopene is a carotenoid that gives vegetables and fruits their red color. Due to its chemical structure, lycopene acts as an antioxidant, which is the basis for its health-promoting properties. Oxidative stress is recognized as an important agent of many chronic diseases; thus, lycopene appears to be a universal medicine. Lycopene has the greatest antioxidant potential among carotenoids. Nutraceutical effects of lycopene have been reported for patients with cancer, infertility, metabolic syndrome and liver damage. Therefore, its supplementation can function as a proper causative treatment of disease. In this review, we highlight primary research and clinical trials involving lycopene and its impact on human health.
Subject(s)
Diet Therapy , Dietary Supplements/analysis , Fruit/metabolism , Lycopene/metabolism , Vegetables/metabolism , Animals , Fruit/chemistry , Humans , Lycopene/analysis , Vegetables/chemistryABSTRACT
Natural products from plants, fungi and higher animals are valuable sources of attractive alternatives for therapeutics. One of them, lycopene is a bright red carotene found in several fruits and vegetables. Tomato, tomato-based sauces and juices are the most abundant sources of this compound for human. There is a positive correlation between lycopene intake and health. It plays an important role in preventing several diseases, inclusing cancers. Lycopene is the most efficient oxygen and free radicals scavenger. Moreover it controls cell cycle and activates phase II detoxification enzymes. Epidemiological studies confirm its significant role in preventing diseases. Constant progress on this field makes lycopene an interesting object of researches.
