Lycopene is a carotenoid, which gives vegetables (e.g., tomato) and fruits (e.g., pink grapefruit, apricot, and watermelon) their red color (26).
Lycopene is synthesized by plants and microorganisms but not by humans or animals. It is the most predominant carotenoid in human blood, present naturally in greater amounts than beta-carotene and other dietary carotenoids. Because lycopene tends to dissolve in fatty substances, it concentrates in blood lipoproteins and in organs such as the skin, liver, lungs, and prostate.
Lycopene is not merely a pigment; it is a powerful antioxidant. Given its antioxidant properties, substantial scientific and clinical research has been devoted to a possible correlation between lycopene consumption and general health.
Unlike beta-carotene, lycopene cannot be converted in the body into vitamin A (retinol).
Authored by Dr Peter Engel in 2010, reviewed and revised by Jonas Wittwer Schegg on 03.10.2017.
In vitro studies indicate that lycopene is one of the most effective antioxidants among carotenoids, potentially preventing deleterious oxidative effects by deactivating singlet oxygen that may play a role in the development of heart disease, cancer and other diseases (1). Read More
Numerous studies correlate high intake of lycopene-containing foods with reduced incidence of cancer and cardiovascular disease, due to its antioxidant potential. Most of the studies are based on reported tomato intake. Read More
Things to know about Lycopene
Currently, there are only very limited lycopene consumption data available. Read More
