Lycopene

Question: at what temperature is lycopene activated in tomatoes? how hot do tomatoes have to get for the lycopene to activate? and if the tomatoe cools down, is the lycopene still active?

Answer: It was allways to my understanding that the best way to get the valuable nutrients from a vegetable was to eat it raw. Like slices on a sandwich or on the side. Not sure though on what happens when they are cooked .

Question: what are some reasons for having a high lycopene level in a blood test? My husband had a blood test done and it came back with a high level of lycopene. He had a sinus infection at the time.

Answer: I have to agree with the other answerer. I've read several pages on blood tests and never once saw one that included a test for lycopene.

Question: Why is the lycopene consumed by Mediterranean people more bio-available? 'Ateronon' is reported to be the first supplement to make lycopene bio-available. Will the consumption of tomatoes similar to that of the typical Mediterranean diet do the same thing?

Answer: 1st Off....There will ALWAYS be 'alerts' reported by a 'supplement Company. THAT''S their 'job'....All supplements/vitamins, etc. still need the one main thing...How much is absorbed' by the body. Lycopene is highest/prevalent in 'cooked' Tomatoes. Consequently, if you consume ANY Tomato/Spaghetti Sauces, you ARE getting the Lycopene. Try to keep it in perspective...The Mediterranean Diet is 'highly' regarded as very very healthful. The 'cooked' Tomato Sauces are only a part of it...It also has a ton of Fresh Fruits/Vegetables, Legumes (Beans) Olive Oil, etc.... So, (2-me) available, just means that one has to 'digest it...Like everything else...Let your body do it's wonderful 'magic' & get the nutrients from the Food you put in2 it...The Tomato Sauce is a part of the 'fuel'....

Question: Is the supplement Lycopene bad for someone who has low blood platelets? My husband has low blood platelets due to hep. C. Will Lycopene make it worse?

Answer: I also have HCV, I had a liver transplant in July 2006. Lycopene can cause some meds to not be as effective. Patients should check with their hepatologist or regular doctor to make sure it is okay for them to take anything. It pays to be careful. I was advised by so many people to take a variety of supplements. My regular doctor always thought they was unnecessary. My hepatologist (liver specialist) thought some were worth my looking into and then he would tell me some side effects that he knew of before I took any of them.

Question: How will over-diluting the Lycopene sample and adding it to column chromatography affect the separation? I have to do column chromatography to separate the Lycopene from carotene, but I don't know what will happen if I use too much hexane for dilution.

Answer: The chromatography system can only evaporate so much sample. It you load a larger sample, the separation will not be as clean. If you load the same volume of a more dilute sample, you will get less signal and less yield.

Question: Does lycopene in pill form really work? I know that lycopene in cooked tomato products works well to decrease the chances of getting prostate cancer? But does lycopene in pill form or mixed in with a multivitamin work too?

Answer: I believe that it recently was determined that tomatoes do not actually prevent cancer and so the pill form definitely would not.

Question: Does puréeing a tomato release most of the lycopene already? I understand that lycopene is one of the most potent anti-oxidants, and that it's abundantly present in tomatoes. In order to get the most out of the tomato, you're supposed to heat the tomato in order to destroy its cells (thus releasing the lycopene) and eat it together with some fat like olive oil (because lycopene is fat soluble). My question is: does puréeing a tomato destroy the cell and release lycopene --in other words, if I eat puréed tomatoes, would I still have to heat it thoroughly in order to get the most of the lycopene out of it, or does the puréeing process already do it?

Answer: the more you break a tomato down, the more lycopene is released, no cooking necessary

Question: What are the differences and similarities of lycopene and catechin? They're both antioxidants right? but what are the differences and similarities? Please! I Need this for my research.

Answer: Lycopene is a bright red CAROTENOID pigment and phytochemical found in tomatoes and other red fruits. Catechins are polyphenolic antioxidant plant metabolites. They belong to the family of FLAVONOIDS and, to be more specific, flavan-3-ols. There are found in fresh tea leaf.

Question: Can you tell me more about lycopene and its health benefits? I am really curious if i should start taking lycopene....exactly how does it benefit me...is it better if i buy this from a health food store or does it not matter?

Answer: Wow... half an hour and no reply yet... Lycopene is one of the carotenoids and it's a very good thing to take especially if you don't eat enough tomatoes (which have the highest concentration of Lycopene). In and of itself, Lycopene is good for prostate health, plus it's packed with antioxidants, so it helps with benefits throughout your whole body. It's not "better" to buy it from a health food store, although that will typically make it more expensive. The most important thing about where you buy it is that the company you are getting it from (the "brand") is of a good quality. Discount stores (eg. Walmart) have some good brands and lower prices than most health food stores, and multiple mail-order companies are typically even cheaper.

Question: Where can you find lycopene best, from raw tomatoes or from already processed tomato juices/sauces?

Answer: Unlike other fruits and vegetables, where nutritional content such as vitamin C is diminished upon cooking, processing of tomatoes increases the concentration of bioavailable lycopene. Lycopene in tomato paste is four times more bioavailable than in fresh tomatoes. This is because lycopene is so insoluble in water and is so tightly bound to vegetable fiber. Thus processed tomato products such as pasteurized tomato juice, soup, sauce, and ketchup contain the highest concentrations of bioavailable lycopene. Cooking and crushing tomatoes (as in the canning process) and serving in oil-rich dishes (such as spaghetti sauce or pizza) greatly increases assimilation from the digestive tract into the bloodstream. Lycopene is fat-soluble, so the oil is said to help absorption.

Question: What's the difference between Lycopene and Q-10 enzyme? I believe they are both supposed to be beneficial to heart health. Is okay to take both?

Answer: Lycopene is a carotenoid found primarily in tomatoes. It's what gives tomatoes their red color. CoQ10 is a vitamin like substance found in most human cells that help with the production of energy. Both are really good things, but realistically it is better getting these items from whole foods than supplements. If you want to get more lycopene, eat a tomato. For CoQ10, some fish have it, but your own body can manufacturer it on its own if you're not deficient in certain vitamins http://www.answers.com/topic/coenzyme-q10?cat=health

Question: Does lycopene only come out if the tomato is cooked? I was just wondering because i eat a lot of tomato, cooked and uncooked.

Answer: no, it has the same amount. lycopene doesn't magically appear when the tomato is heated.

Question: How to ripening the tomato with more redness( more lycopene content)?

Answer: Leave them on the vine longer. But if you really want to get the lycopene content up, get one of the dark purple heirloom varieties, like "Black Prince" (this one is extremely delicious!). You can get it from www.tomatofest.com. Write an email to the guy (I think his name is Gary) and tell him you want high lycopene, and he will respond with a list!

Question: How can we powder a tomato? And how can we get lycopene from tomatoes or watermellons? Please answer me, i really need it.

Answer: Dehydrate and grind to powder form.

Question: I have read that the lycopene in tomatoes helps prevent cancer? And then I read that it's only effective in cooked tomatoes, like spaghetti sauce and pizza. Is that true? I love raw tomatoes and salsa, is it not doing me any good to eat these foods?

Answer: tomatos are good for you either way , lycopene is good stuff

Question: Does lycopene really help with prostate problems? has anyone ever heard of lycopene?? It’s supposed to help with prostate problems….heard about it on the radio the other day and was wondering if anyone has ever tried it before?

Answer: Lycopene is naturally occurring in lots of vegetables. You likely already consume some on a daily basis. Studies suggest that increased lycopene intake may be linked to reduced risk of BPH and prostate cancer, but I wouldn't start chugging ketchup to try to cure anything.