Lycopene

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Lycopene is one of over 600 carotenoids, a large group of compounds found mostly in fruits and vegetables. Carotenoids come in rich colors of red, yellow and orange.

Most of the lycopene in western diets comes from tomatoes and products like tomato sauce, tomato paste, tomato juice and tomato soup. Other sources include V8 juice, watermelon, pink grapefruit, sweet red peppers,guava and red palm oil. Heating foods with lycopene changes it into a form that the body can absorb more readily, so you can get more lycopene from cooked tomatoes than raw. Also, since it is a fat soluble compound, it is absorbed better if the food is cooked with a fat or oil.

There have been several studies published showing that men with a high intake of lycopene rich foods, and especially tomatoes, had a lower risk of prostate cancer. Lycopene has also been associated with a reduced risk of macular degeneration, exercise induced asthma, and cardiovascular disease. Lycopene is stored in many organs such as the lungs, liver, prostate and colon. It's cancer-fighting properties may be due to the fact that it is a powerful antioxidant.

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