Lycopene Supplement
All about the benefits of a lycopene supplement…. Lycopene is a member of the carotenoid family and is the pigment that gives tomatoes their brilliant red color. Carotenoids are natural fat-soluble pigments found in red, yellow, green, and orange fruits and vegetables. A class of phytochemicals, carotenoids is a family of potent antioxidants that include alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, cryptoxanthin, and zeaxanthin. In addition to tomatoes and tomato-based products, lycopene is also found in watermelon, papaya, pink grapefruit and pink guava. However, tomatoes and tomato based foods such as ketchup, pizza sauce, tomato juice and tomato paste, are the richest source of lycopene. Moreover, cooked or processed tomatoes are a better source of lycopene than fresh tomatoes or tomato juice.
In general, it is believed that the carotenoids offer protection against a variety of cancers and cardiovascular disease.
How Can A Lycopene Supplement Benefit You? The Benefits of Lycopene Specifically, lycopene is a potent antioxidant that appears to also harbor anti-cancer properties. In fact, it is considered one of the more potent antioxidants in the carotenoid family, including even beta-carotene. So, what are antioxidants? Antioxidants are compounds that help protect the body from cellular damage caused by free radicals. The body needs antioxidants because with every breath you take you generate free radicals, which are highly reactive substances that can attack and damage cells. As such, many experts believe that free radicals are major factors leading to more than sixty different health problems including aging, cancer, and atherosclerosis.
Therefore, increasing your intake of antioxidant nutrients –like boosting your intake of lycopene dietary sources or taking lycopene supplements can help fight the continuous onslaught of free radicals and reduce the risk of health conditions caused by them. Now, let's take a look at more specific benefits of lycopene. This nutrient is used for the protection against certain types of cancer, especially cancers of the prostate, lung, and stomach. In addition, it is thought to offer the body protection against cardiovascular disease. Researchers have found a statistically significant association between high dietary lycopene and approximately a 50% reduction in the risk of heart disease.
Other possible benefits of lycopene dietary sources and/or lycopene supplements include that it may play a role in preventing age-related macular degeneration and atherosclerosis. It may also be helpful for exercise-induced asthma. We here at Nutritional-Supplement-Educational-Centre believe that there are many undiscovered health benefits of lycopene.
Lycopene Supplement Daily Recommendation and Precautions The daily dosage recommended by some experts has been 6-10 mgs with no known possible side effects. However, as with all supplements, you should always speak with your physician before starting supplementation.
Tips on Choosing a Lycopene Supplement To reap the full benefits of a lycopene supplement, select a product that is formulated by a company that follows strict GMP compliance. This is because dietary supplements are not strictly regulated by the FDA in the U.S. and, as such, manufacturers do not have to guarantee the safety, effectiveness, or even the true content of their products. Click here to learn more about this industry-wide problem. GMP compliant manufactures comply with stringent regulatory standards, which ensures the product contains what is stated on the label. To Your Health! The Editors
Much more than the benefits of a lycopene supplement can be found at our health supplement guide web-page
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