Lycopene – a bioactive carotenoid offering multiple health benefits: a review

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  • Sylwia Przybylska
    Department Food Science and Technology Faculty of Food Sciences and Fisheries West Pomeranian University of Technology Papieża Pawła VI Str. No. 3 Szczecin 71‐459 Poland

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<jats:title>Summary</jats:title><jats:p>Lycopene is a natural red tomato pigment whose presence in the diet is beneficial to human health. It is believed to modify the course of chronic conditions, including neoplastic diseases. Clinical research results confirm its protective effects on the cardiovascular system. It lowers the risk of myocardial infarction, reduces blood pressure and prevents <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">LDL</jats:styled-content> cholesterol oxidation. High blood lycopene concentrations are also associated with lower risks of developing prostate, lung, uterine and breast cancer. Lycopene does not only inhibit proliferation of neoplastic cells, but it also induces their apoptosis and prevents metastasis. The health effects attributed to this compound are mostly derived from its antioxidant properties. It is a strong singlet oxygen quencher, and it thwarts lipid oxidation. Experimental and clinical studies have also confirmed lycopene's positive effects on the skeletal system and on neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.</jats:p>

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