Lycopene is a substance that has been proven to affect tumor cells in the human body. The main dietary source of lycopene is tomatoes. It is from tomatoes that a person receives up to 80% of the total consumption of lycopene.
Pick your recipe
Lycopene, being a natural organic pigment, is found in tomatoes. Thanks to lycopene, tomatoes have their own red color.
Despite the fact that lycopene is not synthesized in the human body, but enters it only with food, it is vital for a person.
Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant. Slowing down the oxidation processes of organic compounds, lycopene prevents the development of atherosclerosis, and also protects DNA.
Moreover, lycopene is able to influence the development of tumor cells. It was found that the closer the intake of lycopene to the recommended daily intake (5 - 10 mg / day), the lower the risk of developing certain types of cancer and, in the first place, prostate cancer.
The stunning effect of tomatoes is the fact that during heat treatment, the concentration of lycopene in them increases.
And if in a normal state a kilogram of tomatoes contains from 5 to 50 mg of lycopene (the concentration correlates depending on the intensity of the red color of the fruit), then even a simple scalding of tomatoes with boiling water leads to an insignificant, but still an increase in its content, and a deeper heat treatment in the form of evaporation, frying and drying increases the concentration of lycopene at times:
- in tomato ketchup up to 140 mg / kg, - in tomato paste up to 1500 mg / kg, but the highest concentration of lycopene in sun-dried tomatoes.
Here is such an amazing effect - during the heat treatment the anticancer effect of tomatoes is enhanced!