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Updated on 3rd November 2008 by
Dr Charles Tweed
30 X 20mg of AOR's Lycopene Ultra. (1 month's supply)
Recommended Dose: unless otherwise directed take 1 capsules per day. Active ingredients contained in 1 capsule:
20mg Lycopene
For a full discussion of the science behind the benefits of Lycopene, please see the Aging Management Assessment of Lycopene.
Lycopene is a naturally occurring carotenoid found in a number of fruits and vegetables such as the tomato, watermelon, pink grapefruit, guava and rosehip. It has recently been in the news because of an association between it’s consumption and improved health outcomes, and an increasing body of laboratory evidence of its ability to scavenge free radicals. Areas where lycopene may be helpful include:
- Heart disease.
- Cancer prevention.
- Strokes.
- Prevention of skin damage.
- Diabetes.
The reasons it may be helpful for these conditions are due to its biochemical properties:
- Numerous epidemiological studies show strong correlation between high dietary lycopene intake, high tissue lycopene levels and better cardiovascular outcomes such as:
- Sudden death.
- Atherosclerosis.
- Risk of death from heart disease.
- Size of stroke.
- Flexibility and thickening of blood vessels.
- Levels of oxidised LDL levels.
- It reduces the oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol, a crucial step in the development of atherosclerosis which is the reason people get heart disease and strokes.
- Epidemiological studies suggest a lower rate of cancers in people consuming a high number of tomatoes and tomato products.
- Free radical scavenging. Lycopene has been identified as one of the most potent scavengers of singlet species of oxygen free radicals – approximately 100 times more powerful than Vitamin E.
- The red pigment absorbs blue light in a dose dependant manner. Studies looking at deliberately induced sunburn before and after supplementation with lycopene show a massive reduction in skin damage when taking an increased intake of lycopene. This may also produce a decrease in cataracts and Age Related Macular Degeneration, although this has not been definitively looked at.
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