LYCOPENE

Supply Situation

Currently, there are only very limited lycopene consumption data available.

In Europe, mean intake of lycopene ranges from about 0.5 to 5 mg/day, with high mean intakes up to 7.5 mg/day in Italy (8, 28). The average reported daily lycopene intake is 1.1 mg/day in the United Kingdom, 1.6 mg/day in Spain, 3.8 mg/day in Austria, 4.8 mg/day in France, and 4.9 mg/day in the Netherlands (27). In Germany, the average dietary intake of lycopene is 0.55 mg per day (9).

Depending on the quantity of tomatoes and tomato products consumed, some individuals increase their daily uptake of lycopene to more than 20 mg (10).

Intake varies with food habits and also with the method of assessment employed; food frequency questionnaires for example are thought to overestimate food and vegetable consumption.

The average daily intake of lycopene in the United States ranges from 6.6–10.5 mg/day for men and from 5.7–10.4 mg/day for women (27). Mean intake in Canada is thought to not materially differ from that in Europe (11).

Authored by Dr Peter Engel in 2010, reviewed and revised by  Jonas Wittwer Schegg on 06.10.2017.