Women's best friend - Lycopene for women's heart health

Lycopene, a non-provitamin is a form of carotenoid which is responsible for the red-to-pink hue in foods such as tomatoes and pink grapefruit. In the United States, processed tomato products are the main dietary source of lycopene. Unlike many other naturally occurring chemicals, lycopene in plant tissue matrices is generally not easy to process. Recent studies have also looked at the potential health benefits of lycopene. Although epidemiological, cell culture and animal studies suggest that lycopene and the consumption of foods containing lycopene may affect the risk of cancer or cardiovascular disease, more data from clinical trials are needed to support this view1.

The potential of lycopene to improve vascular function and aid in the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease appears promising. The main active properties of lycopene include its ability to improve the metabolic profile and reduce build-up of cholesterol and fats in artery walls. It also has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive, anti-platelet, anti-apoptotic and endothelium-protective properties. Despite occasional inconsistent observations, several studies have shown positive effects of lycopene in people with subclinical atherosclerosis, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, peripheral vascular disease, stroke, and several other cardiovascular diseases2,3.

The leading cause of death worldwide is cancer, but the cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a close second. This results in not only a high annual incidence of certain diseases but also a high annual fatality rate. Statistics show that by 2030, there will be 23 million deaths directly attributable to CVD4. The fact that one-third of all deaths occur in people under the age of 70 and that women are more likely than men to die from cardiovascular disease. The two main causes of these conditions are myocardial infarction and stroke. Heart failure, peripheral artery disease, hypertension, and coronary artery disease are all included in the World Health Organization's (WHO) list of cardiovascular diseases5.

Effect of Lycopene in Association with Women’s Heart Health:

There is some evidence that lycopene consumption can lower your risk of developing heart disease or dying from it at a young age. It may reduce risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The levels of "good" HDL cholesterol may rise, while levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol may decrease, and free radical damage, total cholesterol, and "bad" LDL cholesterol may all be affected. Furthermore, higher lycopene levels in the blood may help patients with metabolic syndrome, a group of symptoms that can contribute to cardiovascular disease, live longer. Over a ten-year period, it was discovered that people with metabolic disorders and the highest blood lycopene levels had a 39% lower risk of premature death. Another 10-year study discovered that those with high intakes of this vitamin in their diets had a 17–26% lower risk of cardiovascular disease. A recent study found that people with high blood levels of lycopene have a 31% lower risk of stroke. Lycopene's protective properties may be most advantageous to those with low blood antioxidant levels or significant oxidative stress. People who smoke, have diabetes, or have cardiovascular disease are also at risk, in addition to the elderly6.

Reference:

  1. Story, E. N., Kopec, R. E., Schwartz, S. J. & Harris, G. K. An Update on the Health Effects of Tomato Lycopene. Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 1, 10.1146/annurev.food.102308.124120 (2010).
  2. Mozos, I. et al. Lycopene and Vascular Health. Front Pharmacol 9, 521 (2018).
  3. Atanasov, A. G. et al. Discovery and resupply of pharmacologically active plant-derived natural products: A review. Biotechnol Adv 33, 1582–1614 (2015).
  4. Amini, M., Zayeri, F. & Salehi, M. Trend analysis of cardiovascular disease mortality, incidence, and mortality-to-incidence ratio: results from global burden of disease study 2017. BMC Public Health 21, 401 (2021).
  5. Przybylska, S. & Tokarczyk, G. Lycopene in the Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases. Int J Mol Sci 23, 1957 (2022).
  6. Lycopene: Health Benefits and Top Food Sources. Learn more.