Consider the Benefits of Lycopene for Body Health

Have you ever heard of lycopene? Although rarely known, it turns out this one substance also helps maintain body health. Then, what are the health benefits of lycopene, find out the following full explanation. Lycopene is a rubberoid compound which gives dark yellow to red color to some fruits and vegetables. Lycopene is also known to have antioxidant effects, so it is useful to ward off free radicals and prevent various risks of diseases, such as heart disease, atherosclerosis, and cancer. Fruits and vegetables that contain lycopene, namely tomatoes, grapefruit, carrots, or pamelo, watermelon, papaya, and guava.

Various Benefits of Lycopene for Body Health

Lycopene in fruits and vegetables contains a variety of benefits. Here are some of the benefits of lycopene for health, including:

• Prevent cancer

Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant group that can prevent and slow down some types of cancer. Some studies report that lycopene is beneficial for inhibiting the growth of prostate cancer and breast cancer cells.

• Maintaining heart health

A study shows that consuming at least 40 mg of lycopene per day, both in the form of fresh fruit or juice, has been shown to reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) and increase good cholesterol (HDL) in the blood. This is what makes lycopene is very good for maintaining heart health.

• Keep bones healthy

In addition to vitamin D and calcium, lycopene intake is equally important for keeping bones healthy and strong. The antioxidant properties of lycopene help ward off cell damage to bone tissue that causes bone fragility. Lycopene also helps bone formation and increases bone density.

• Prevents sun damage

Some types of antioxidants from plants can be seen to counteract the bad effects of sunlight on the skin due to exposure to ultraviolet (UV), one of the antioxidants that is good for the skin is lycopene. Research shows that lycopene can prevent the effects of skin damage and help the healing process of the skin due to sun exposure.

• Preventing Asthma

Lycopene is also useful for preventing asthma. A study revealed that taking lycopene 45 mg per day has been shown to reduce immune activity that can trigger asthma, also helps maintain lung function for asthmatics. However, this data still needs to be further studied clinically.

Take the Benefits of Lycopene from Fruits and Vegetables, Compared to Supplements

Now many supplements and vitamins that are enriched with lycopene are available. However, these supplements are not regulated as strict as medicines by the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM), so the dosage rules are not yet known. In general, the use of lycopene daily supplements is considered safe around 120 mg per day, and can be consumed for one year. The use of lycopene supplements can cause side effects for the body, such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating, nausea and vomiting. In addition, the use of lycopene supplements during pregnancy can also increase the risk of premature babies and low birth weight babies. Therefore, consult your nutritionist before you take any supplements and so that your doctor can adjust to your body's condition. If you want to get the benefits of lycopene to maintain a healthy body, it is recommended to get it from natural sources. Lycopene content is most abundant in fresh tomatoes and other processed tomato products, such as tomato juice, tomato sauce, or tomato paste. The content of lycopene in processed tomato products is also more easily absorbed by the body.