| On the International Front
New from Japan:
Vege-care from Kagome
Kagome introduces Vege-care, a natural jelly drink for those worried about skin and eye health. This apple flavoured vegetable juice contains 30 mg of lycopene (equal to 9 tomatoes), 100 mg of vitamin C, 3 mg of vitamin E, 6 g of dietary fiber, and rosehip/acerola. News from the Korea:
Seoul Food from Korea
Seoul Dairy Cooperative launched a fermented milk drink containing LYC-O-PEN® 2% SG. Each serving contains an antioxidant blend of 1 mg of tomato lycopene along with red grape extract and 8 vitamins. News from the UK:
LycoRed gets OK from UK for food use of tomato lycopene The U.K.’s FSA just released a positive opinion on the LYC-O-MATO® application, giving food makers the go-ahead to use lycopene in amounts of 5 mg per serving, thought to be the dose required to produce a health benefit.
LycoScience
New Research Shows Tomato Lycopene Can Reduce Blood Pressure in Patients with Mild to Moderate Hypertension
In a random double blind, placebo controlled crossover trial, Esther Paran, M.D. evaluated the effect of standardized tomato extract on blood pressure, endothelial function and plasma lycopene levels in grade 1 hypertensive patients. In this study, 54 grade 1 hypertensive patients between the ages of 30 and 70 years entered two double blind treatment periods of six weeks each. They were administered a daily dose of LYC-O-MATO® tomato extract or an identical placebo. The LYC-O-MATO® tomato extract provided 15 mg of tomato lycopene, beta carotene, vitamin E, phytoene, phytofluene and other phytonutrients found naturally in the tomato extract.
Results indicated a significant reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as well as an increase in urinary nitrate excretion, in correlation with an increase in serum lycopene levels. Dr. Paran commented that, “The results of this study are particularly significant because our subjects had previously been unsuccessful at lowering their blood pressure using one or two drug methods.” Dr. Paran attributed the reduction in blood pressure to the antioxidant activity of the tomato extract and the increase in nitric oxide. The results of this study were presented at the American Society of Hypertension’s 20th Annual Scientific and Exposition, May 15-18, 2005 in San Francisco.
Tomato Lycopene Associated with Reduced Pancreatic Cancer Risk
André Nkondjock, Parviz Ghadirian, Kenneth C. Johnson, Daniel Krewski and the Canadian Cancer Registries Epidemiology Research Group, Dietary Intake of Lycopene Is Associated with
Reduced Pancreatic Cancer Risk, Journal of Nutrition 135:160-164, February 2005 This study was an investigation of the possible association between dietary carotenoids and pancreatic cancer risk. A case-control study of 462 histologically confirmed pancreatic cancer cases and 4721 population-based controls in 8 Canadian provinces took place between 1994 and 1997. Dietary intake was assessed by a self-administered questionnaire. After adjustment for age, province, BMI, smoking, educational attainment, dietary folate, and total energy intake, lycopene, provided mainly by tomatoes, was associated with a 31% reduction in pancreatic cancer risk among men when comparing the highest and lowest quartiles of intake. The results of this study suggest that a diet rich in tomatoes and tomato-based products with high lycopene content may help reduce pancreatic cancer risk.
Click here to read the abstract. Presence of Lipids Enhances Tomato Lycopene Absorption
Nuray Z. Unlu, Torsten Bohn, Steven K. Clinton and Steven J. Schwartz, Carotenoid Absorption from Salad and Salsa by Humans Is Enhanced by the Addition of Avocado or Avocado Oil, Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention Vol. 14, 195-203, January 2005 The objective of this study was to assess whether the addition of avocado fruit as a lipid source enhances carotenoid absorption in humans. Eleven healthy subjects were recruited for 2 crossover, postprandial studies. The effect of the addition of 150 g of avocado to salsa on lycopene and ß-carotene absorption was examined in Study 1, and the absorption of lutein alpha carotene, and ß-carotene from salad in Study 2. The effects of avocado dose (75 g vs. 150 g containing 12 g versus.24 g lipid, respectively) and of lipid source (avocado fruit versus avocado oil) on carotenoid absorption were examined in Study 2. The addition of avocado to salsa enhanced lycopene and ß-carotene absorption, resulting in 4.4 and 2.6 times the mean AUC after intake of avocado-free salsa, respectively. In Study 2, supplementing 150 g avocado or 24 g avocado oil to salad similarly enhanced alpha-carotene, ß-carotene, and lutein absorption, resulting in 7.2, 15.3, and 5.1 times the mean AUC (baseline-corrected area under the concentration vs. time curve )after intake of avocado-free salad, respectively. Neither the avocado dose nor the lipid source affected carotenoid absorption. In conclusion, adding avocado fruit can significantly enhance carotenoid absorption from salad and salsa, which is attributed primarily to the lipids present in avocado. Click here to read the abstract
Click here to read more studies on LYC-O-MATO® and tomato lycopene www.LycoRed.com/library.cfm.
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