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Health effects of lycopene, a carotenoid found mainly from tomato
products
Lycopene is one of the major carotenoids in the Western diet and is
probably one of the protective factors in the vegetable rich diet. It's
a red color pigment and in contrast to most other carotenoids which
are widely distributed among great variety of fruits and vegetables,
the intake of lycopene comes predominantly from tomatoes and tomato
products. Interest in lycopene is growing rapidly following the recent
publication of epidemiologic studies which associated high circulating
lycopene concentration with reductions in cardiovascular diseases (CVD).
Lycopene has unique structural and chemical features that may contribute
to its specific biological properties. Antioxidant properties of lycopene
are quite resistant to heat and cooking and bioavailability of lycopene
in processed tomato products is higher than in unprocessed fresh tomatoes.
Lycopene is an antioxidant carotenoid without provitamin
A activity and has been shown to be more potent antioxidant than
other common dietary carotenoids, alfa- or beta-carotene. The oxidation
protecting effects of lycopene and tomatoes have been shown in both
human and animal studies. A decreased oxidative modification of
LDL may be one of the mechanisms by which lycopene could reduce
the risk of CVD and atherosclerotic progression.
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Our results and research interests
The purposes of our previous works have been to study the role of blood
levels of lycopene with regard to cardiovascular health in women and
men living in eastern Finland. We first examined the association between
the plasma concentration of lycopene and the intima-media thickness
of common carotid artery wall (CCA-IMT) in a cross-sectional analysis
of Antioxidant Supplementation in the Atherosclerosis Prevention (ASAP)
Study in 520 high risk men and women. Low plasma levels (lower than
the median) of lycopene were associated with an 18% increased intima-media
thickness in men, compared with men whose plasma levels of lycopene
were higher. In women, the difference was not significant. Next we examined
the association between serum levels of lycopene and CCA-IMT in 1028
middle-aged men in the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor (KIHD)
Study. We found that in men with low serum levels of lycopene (lowest
quarter) the adjusted CCA-IMT had a significant increment in both mean
CCA-IMT and maximal CCA-IMT as compared with the other men. In the KIHD
study we examined the role of serum levels of lycopene with regard to
the risk of acute coronary events and ischemic strokes. The subjects
were 725 middle-aged men free of coronary heart disease and stroke at
the study baseline. We found that men with a low serum level of lycopene
(the lowest quarter) had an over three-fold risk of an acute coronary
event or stroke as compared with others.
In conclusion, these findings support the convention that increased
lycopene intake may have a protective role in prevention of CVD and
contribute to cardiovascular health. Hence, circulating levels of lycopene,
a biomarker of tomato-rich food, may play a role in early stages of
atherogenesis and have clinical and public health relevance.
At present Tiina Rissanen continues her studies on lycopene and chronic
diseases. New interests are especially on the areas of cognitive function
and cataracts.
More information about our studies
tiina.rissanen@uku.fi
Sari Voutilainen et al.
Carotenoids and cardiovascular health. Am J Clin Nutr 2006;83:1265-71.
PDF
Rissanen TH. Association of lycopene and dietary intake of fruits,
berries and vegetables with atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases.
Epidemiologic Evidence. Doctoral dissertation. 2003. Kuopio University
Publications D. Medical Sciences 304. 72 p. PDF
Rissanen T, Voutilainen S, Nyyssönen K, Salonen JT. Lycopene, atherosclerosis
and coronary heart disease. Exp Biol Med, 2002;227:900-907.
Rissanen T, Voutilainen S, Nyyssönen K, Salonen R, Kaplan GA, Salonen
JT. Serum lycopene level and carotid atherosclerosis: the Kuopio Ischaemic
Heart Disease Risk Factor (KIHD) Study. American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition 2003;77:133-138. PDF
Rissanen T, Voutilainen S, Nyyssönen K, Salonen R, Salonen
JT. Low plasma lycopene concentration is associated with increased intima-media
thickness of the carotid artery wall. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and
Vascular Biology 2000;20:2677-2681. PDF
Rissanen T, Voutilainen S, Nyyssönen K, Lakka TA, Salonen R,
Kaplan GA, Salonen JT. Low serum lycopene is associated with excess
risk of acute coronary events and stroke: The Kuopio Ischaemic Risk
Factor Study. British Journal of Nutrition 2001;85:749-754. PDF
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