What is lycopene?
Lycopene is a type of antioxidant. (1)
Lycopene is a type of carotenoid. (2)
Lycopene is a type of pigment. (4)
What does lycopene do?
may decrease the risk of some types of cancer and heart disease (1)
may prevent skin damage from UV rays and offers protection from prostate cancer (3)
What contains lycopene?
1 cup of guavas red varieties contain 8,587 mcg (2)
1 cup of cooked tomatoes contains 7,298 mcg (1, 2)
1 cu of watermelon contains 6979 mcg (2, 5)
1 cup of grapefruit contains 3264 mcg (2)
1 cup of papaya contains 2651 mcg (2)
1 cup of sweet red bell peppers contains 513 mcg (2)
1 persimmon fruit contains 267 mcg (2)
1 cup of cooked asparagus contains 54 mcg (2)
1 cup of chopped red cabbage contains 18 mcg (2)
1 cup of mangos contains 5 mcg (2)
pink grapefruits (5)
apricots (5)
pink guavas (5)
Processed tomato products, such as juice, ketchup, paste, sauce, and soup, all are good dietary sources of lycopene. (5)
Lycopene and Tomatoes
How to get more lycopene from tomatoes?
Steaming or boiling tomatoes is the preferred method of cooking to bring out more lycopene for optimal nutrition. (5)
The beneficial trans-lycopene content of cooked tomatoes increases by 54, 171, and 164%….(5)
Lycopene and Humans
Lycopene Deficiency
There are no know symptoms of a lycopene deficiency, and no daily value (DV) for lycopene. (2)
Resources
1. https://www.webmd.com/diet/what-to-know-about-nightshade-vegetables
2. https://www.myfooddata.com/articles/high-lycopene-foods.php
3. https://www.nutrition-and-you.com/guava.html
4. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/tomatoes#plant-compounds
5. https://stellinamarfa.com/fruits/do-you-get-lycopene-from-raw-tomatoes/
