Consumption of lycopene through tomato paste showed evidence of protecting the skin from excessive reddening caused by exposure to UV rays.

A collaborative study conducted by Newcastle University, the University of Manchester and Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, revealed that consumption of foods containing Lycopene reduces the reddening of the skin after long hours of exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays. Tomatoes are the richest known sources of lycopene and heat-treated tomato paste has more lycopene content than fresh raw tomatoes. A small serving of tomato paste contains approximately 16 milligrams of lycopene. Skin reddening brought about by extended exposure to UV rays is caused by the damage to mitochondrial DNA. Sufficient servings of tomato paste on a daily basis protect mitochondrial DNA from damage, thereby reducing skin reddening and keeping the skin healthy. This study was published in the British Journal of Dermatology.

The study on the dermatological benefits of lycopene supports previous findings regarding its protective properties against UV rays and tissue damage. However, the research has only produced preliminary evidence and further research is still needed. Lycopene is also a known antioxidant and the substance has also shown medical evidence for lowering the risk of developing prostate, skin and heart diseases. It is also essential in keeping the bones healthy. While lycopene has been known to be derived naturally from tomatoes, it can also be produced synthetically. As an additional treat, lycopene is also being used in cosmetic and beauty products, and in food supplements.

The lycopene study consisted of twenty healthy female participants with an average age of 33. Their skin type was identified as phototype I/II. They were asked randomly to take 55 grams of olive oil or tomato paste in olive oil for a period of 12 weeks. Skin samples from the 17 women who completed the study showed that lycopene had improved the skin’s resistance to UV rays. The researchers said that the benefits of lycopene can also be acquired by eating foods containing processed tomatoes in equivalent dosage.

Understanding Lycopene

Lycopene is a bright red carotenoid and carotene pigment found in red fruits and vegetables especially tomatoes, except for cherries and strawberries. Other known sources are red carrots, papayas, watermelons. Lycopene in plants, and in other organisms that require the process of photosynthesis in making food, serve as an important substance in biosynthesizing carotenoids to give the plant its pigmentation. In humans, lycopene is not an essential nutrient but it is commonly found in the usual diet. The richest source of lycopene is processed and heat-treated tomato products like tomato paste and tomato ketchup. Preliminary evidence from several studies regarding lycopene’s antioxidant properties has made it one of the candidates as a potential agent in the prevention of cancer.

Sources of Lycopene

Lycopene in food supplements and beauty products is usually extracted from tomatoes but the substance can also be synthesized. Amongst the richest natural source of lycopene are pink guava, wolfberry, seabuckthorn, red bell pepper, gac, papaya and of course, tomatoes. Raw tomatoes contain 9 micrograms of lycopene per 42 grams or weight. Some species of tomatoes can have higher lycopene content than others and it rises as the fruit begins to ripen. Gac is known to have the highest content of lycopene with up to 70 times more than tomatoes, but gac is rarely found outside the regions of Southeast Asia.

Antioxidant Properties of Lycopene

Singlet oxygen is produced during a person’s exposure to UV rays and it is the primary cause of skin aging. Carotenoid quenchers are needed to counteract the adverse effects of singlet oxygen to the body. In studies, lycopene has 125 times more the quenching power than glutathione and 100 times more than vitamin. This makes it one of the most potent antioxidants and also one of the most effective substances against skin aging from a natural source.

Health Benefits of Lycopene

Lycopene is continuously being studied for its efficacy in the prevention of several types of cancer. Studies have shown significant evidence of lycopene’s protective properties against lung cancer, prostate cancer and cancer of the stomach. But results and findings remain preliminary and inconclusive, and further research is required to really determine the efficacy of lycopene as an anti-cancer agent.

Asthma

Though no concrete evidence has been established regarding this matter, lycopene had shown indication from scientific studies of being potent in preventing asthma caused by exercise and heightened physical exertion. This is rooted mainly on lycopene’s antioxidant properties.

Cancer Prevention

Studies done in animals to determine the relationship of developing cancer and regular consumption of lycopene from tomatoes showed indications of reduced risk. But like any other studies regarding lycopene, results are still inconclusive and preliminary. Nevertheless, population and epidemiologic studies on the dietary habits and lifestyle of large populations showed lower risk of developing cancer for people with sufficient fruits and vegetable consumption and adequate exercise than the portion of the population with a sedentary lifestyle. It’s not clear whether lycopene is contributory to the effect, but studies are continuously investigating the matter. Despite all the uncertainties, getting sufficient dosage of lycopene from tomatoes and processed tomato products will not harm you either.

Lycopene for Healthy Skin

Lycopene can be used as a sunscreen and antioxidant in one. Once in the body, lycopene deters skin aging by destroying free radicals and protects the skin from the inside against damage caused by the UV rays of the sun. Lycopene supplements and lycopene skin care products like lycopene lotion with relatively efficient SPF levels are crowding the market. The lycopene content of these products may come from natural sources or they may have been synthesized artificially. But if you want it the natural way and not from a tube, there will always be the ketchup in the cupboard.

Side-effects of Lycopene

Anything taken in excessive dosage can have harmful effects to the body. Though lycopene is a non-toxic substance commonly found in the usual diet, excess in carotenoid intake may produce colorful side-effects – in the literal sense. Reports of excessive lycopene intake include the case of a woman who experienced skin discoloration called lycopenodermia after excessive and prolonged consumption of tomato products and tomato juice. Her blood had high levels of lycopene and her liver and skin had a yellow to orange color. The woman was advised to have a lycopene-free diet and after three weeks her skin regained its normal color.

Sources
nutraingredients.com
enotalone.com
smartskincare.com

A recent study suggests that multivitamins assist in the anti aging process.

Have you noticed the onslaught of negative press regarding traditional takes on health lately?  From the notion that exercise doesn’t rev metabolism, to antioxidants doing nothing for the body, to the benefits of fish oil being nothing more than a figment of the imagination (I’ll address this in a future article), it’s enough to drive a natural health nut, well, nuts!

Propaganda like this is a real shame.  It confuses and disappoints the average person who has been striving to get healthy, leaving them skeptical of their methods and wondering whether it’s all been worth it.

I know of many people, for instance, who have taken a multivitamin for years, but decided to stop after it was reported that they bring no benefits to the body.  Sure, there’s some legitimacy to the notion that some multivitamins aren’t as good as others, but I flatly reject the notion that they’re nothing more than water pills.

And the National Institute of Environmental Health agrees with me, as a study of theirs indicates that those who supplement with a multivitamin tend to live longer, or have what they call a younger “biological age.”

You’ve probably heard of the body having a biological clock, but we also have a biological age, which is basically a fancy way of describing the age of a body’s cells.  Scientists are able to determine a body’s biological age by looking at things called telomeres.

Telomeres are DNA strands found at the end of chromosomes that progressively shorten as the body’s cells age.  The shorter they are, the more advanced in age the body’s cells are.  Cells are constantly multiplying, so it’s natural for the body’s cells to eventually die (called apoptosis), but ideally, you want the body’s healthy cells to stay that way for as long as possible.

So when researchers compared the telomeres of those who supplemented with a multivitamin regularly with those who did not, they found that those who supplemented had telomeres that were more about five percent longer than the non-multi users.  In other words, those that supplement with a multivitamin have a cellular structure that’s in a younger state.

To be fair, there were some aspects to the study that require further review.  For instance, it was a study that only included women, and since males and females have different cellular structures, the findings might be different in men.  But among women, the researchers were able to make the appropriate adjustments to their findings based on what nutrients the women were high or low in (via food frequency questionnaires).

The study is published in The American Journal of Nutrition.

It’s estimated that 35 percent of the population supplement with a multivitamin.  That’s great, but it could be higher – much higher.

That doesn’t mean those that don’t supplement should go out and get any old multivitamin.  A recent ConsumerLabs.com report found that 30 percent of the multi-vitamins tested in their labs had ingredients that were above or below their dosage listed on the bottle.  For instance, one multivitamin had half the amount of folic acid it claimed to have, and 30 percent of the calcium.

Personally, I use the multivitamin made by Nature’s Way.  It’s called “Alive!  Whole Food Energizer.”  You can get a complete breakdown of its benefits and ingredient listings here.  I also use Ola Loa, which is a drinkable multi vitamin. I have no financial ties to Nature’s Way or Ola Loa, LLC.  I simply use these brands because I believe in the products and believe them to be among the best multivitamins on the market today.

To keep your body’s cells alive, go out and grab a bottle of Alive! today.

Source:
nutraingredients.com
calgaryherald.com