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Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 19, No. 5, 563-569 (2000)
Published by the American College of Nutrition

Review

Role of Antioxidant Lycopene in Cancer and Heart Disease

A. Venket Rao, PhD and Sanjiv Agarwal, PhD

Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 150 College Street, Toronto, Ontario CANADA

Address reprint requests to: Dr. A. V. Rao, Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 150 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E2, CANADA. E-mail: v.rao{at}utoronto.ca.

Lycopene, a carotenoid without provitamin-A activity, is present in many fruits and vegetables; however, tomatoes and processed tomato products constitute the major source of lycopene in North American diet. Among the carotenoids, lycopene is a major component found in the serum and other tissues. Dietary intakes of tomatoes and tomato products containing lycopene have been shown to be associated with decreased risk of chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases in several recent studies. Serum and tissue lycopene levels have also been inversely related with the chronic disease risk. Although the antioxidant properties of lycopene are thought to be primarily responsible for its beneficial properties, evidence is accumulating to suggest other mechanisms such as modulation of intercellular gap junction communication, hormonal and immune system and metabolic pathways may also be involved. This review summarizes the background information about lycopene and presents the most current knowledge with respect to its role in human health and disease.

Key words: lycopene, carotenoids, oxidative stress, antioxidant, chronic diseases




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