Well, what does Lycopene do? It is an anti-oxidant found in tomatoes and found to have notably fewer drawbacks than the more well known Vitamin E; it is also the most powerful anti-oxidant today. In this article I will be talking about the many health benefits of Lycopene and the best food sources.
Lycopene is a bright red carotenoid pigment and the most powerful natural anti-oxidant produced by certain plants, tomatoes are one of the best. Just 100 micrograms of Lycopene per kilogram is estimated to be able to give your immune system a boost.
There have been recent studies that showed that the antioxidant lycopene found in the tomato could prevent prostate cancer and heart disease. In several case studies it was found that men who ate a diet rich in tomatoes and vegetables, ran a lower risk of prostate cancer and heart disease than men who ate meat.
To truly understand the health benefits of Lycopene, you need to know how it works and what it does. Lycopene is one of the most potent anti-oxidants because it gives certain benefits to your skin and also your whole body.
It is found in tomatoes and its skin is known as Lymanthalfagensis. This is an anti-oxidant and it is the most potent anti-oxidant today. Lycopene is what gives the tomato its red color and it is also found in grape seeds and watermelons, just to name a few.
The antioxidant Lycopene is known to prevent prostate cancer and reduce the effects of free-radicals on the cells in our bodies. In addition, the tomato stars also contain very high numbers of vitamin C and Vitamin E.
Lycopene is known to help our bodies fight heart disease, increase the breakdown of estrogen in our body, and prevent cancer. While using healthy foods is always best, in some instances it may be beneficial to supplement a daily diet with natural antioxidant supplements.
A major advantage to natural vs. synthetic antioxidants is again lycopene. Besides tomato’s lycopene content, rosehip seed and tea also have very high antioxidant qualities.
It is recommended that to get the most benefit from antioxidant supplements, they should be taken in balanced amounts.
It’s important to increase the amount of antioxidants you get in your diet, but just like there are essential nutrients, there are also essential antioxidants. Just like vitamin C, they are also essential to optimal performance, but they don’t stay with your body for very long. Therefore, it is important to have a diet and supplements that have a long term solution.
Foods high in antioxidants are important sources of the antioxidants you need, but supplements are not the only option. By taking a healthy diet of lean protein, fruits and vegetables along with a daily multi-vitamin supplement, you are well on your to getting the antioxidants you need without having to rely on just vitamin supplements.
We may not be able to avoid free radicals but we can control how and when those free radicals damage our cells. In addition to knowing how many free radicals we are exposed to, it is important to find out how to control them.
While it is true that antioxidants occur naturally in many foods, it is also true that those antioxidant elements are not present in any food the way we get them from oxidizing agents. There is a method in which we can introduce these natural antioxidants to our diet but it takes the right type of foods.
By adding antioxidant rich foods to a diet you can prevent the damage that free radicals make on the functioning of your cells. In addition, you can also prevent diseases that can be prevented by strong anti-oxidative factors.
The best way to get these nutrients is by eating a diet that is rich in a variety of nutrient rich fruits and vegetables. To name just a few, you can choose tomatoes, spinach, peppers, carrots, and many others.
Eating a healthy diet with a lot of different fruits and vegetables will surely provide your body with a great deal of useful natural antioxidants. In addition, you can also add dietary supplements to your diet to get all the vitamin A, C and E. Combine your diet with a good vitamin supplement and you’ll be able to optimize your health.
