Posted on 13th May 2011 @ 12:19 PM

Lycopene is a bright red carotenoid antioxidant. As an antioxidant, lycopene is more powerful than beta-carotene and it has no vitamin A activity which makes lycopene suitable for use even in pregnancy without toxicity risk.

Lycopene derives its name from the New Latin word lycopersicum for the tomato species name. Lycopene is found in tomatoes and other red fruits and vegetables, such as red carrots, watermelons and papayas. Fruits and vegetables that are high in lycopene include gac (gourd or cochinchin gourd), tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit, pink guava, papaya, sea buckthorn, goji, and rosehip.

Lycopene may help prevent of some types of cancers, particularly prostate cancer. As an antioxidant, lycopene may be the most powerful carotenoid quencher of free radicals. In fact, lycopene is 100 times more efficient in test studies of free radical quenching action than vitamin E.

Scientific and clinical research has shown that lycopene may help prevent cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, and even male infertility. As an antioxidant, lycopene inhibits basal endometrial cancer cell proliferation and also suppresses insulin-like growth factor-I-stimulated growth. Insulin-like growth factors are major triggers of breast and endometrial cancer. Other scientific studies confirm that lycopene helps in the prevention and treatment of cancers of the lung, prostate, stomach, bladder, cervix, and skin.

Lycopene is naturally present in human skin. Most recently, scientists of Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, found that lycopene in tomatoes can protect human skin against UV-induced effects such as oxidative stress, erythema, matrix changes and mitochondrial DNA damage. They concluded that “tomato paste containing lycopene provides protection against acute and potentially longer-term aspects of photodamage.” Just 55 g tomato paste contain whopping 16 mg lycopene!

The easiest way to benefit from lycopene is to consume lycopene-rich foods. Lycopene is better absorbed by the body when it is consumed in cooked tomato products, rather than fresh tomatoes. In one study, heat processing released up to 2.5 times the lycopene from tomatoes, making it more available and absorbable in the body. Also, because lycopene is fat-soluble, adding a little oil helps absorption too.

Lycopene contains in the following products by Petite Marie Organics:

Ounce of Prevention Antioxidant Mineral Sun Cream

Ounce of Prevention Serum: Prevents and Treats UV Damage after Sun Exposure