Lycopene Antioxidant...The Wonder Chemical

What is lycopene antioxidant?

It is an antioxidant, one of the carotenes, and a member of the carotenoid family. It is found in high concentrations in tomato products especially.

It's a nutrient that gives the red colour to tomatoes and other fruits listed below.

It's worth noting that the body does not produce lycopene, so you must eat foods rich in lycopene to benefit from its considerable antioxidant powers. Here is a list of other fruits that are lycopene rich...

• Grapefruits (pink)
• Watermelon
• Guava (pink)
• Rosehips
• Papaya

Lycopene Antioxidant Facts

It has been credited with reducing wrinkles because it neutralises free radicals which age the skin.

It is also said to protect against osteoporosis and lung, breast and prostate cancer. However it is reported that too much of the stuff can have alarming side effects. One woman in the U.S. drank so much tomato juice her skin turned orange!

Have you wondered why tomato stains are so difficult to get out of fabric and kitchen surfaces? It's because ly-copene molecules are not soluble in water.

There is a Chinese fruit called as Gac. It is known as the sweet gourd, and it contains the highest amount of lycopene. Compared to tomatoes it's 70 times more.

Cooked tomatoes are more beneficial than raw ones. The reason for this? Because heating lycopene alters its structure, enabling it to be more easily transported through the blood.

It has recently been discovered by researchers at Wayne State University, Detroid, Michigan, that endometriosis, a painful womb condition affecting many women, can be helped with lycopene by preventing the internal scarring caused by the disease.

Experiments by U.S scientists found it cut by up to 90 per cent of the chemical activity that leads to the build-up of scar tissue.

So it's quite possible that a tomato a day could protect against fertility.