American scientists were able to track down the activity of lycopene inside the body following its consumption. The results of the study may pave the way for enhanced cancer treatments, specifically those targeted for prostate, lung and gastric cancers.
Lycopene, which is a red carotenoid found in tomatoes, has long been theorized to intervene in the impact of tomato intake on preventing diseases.
The researchers began their study a decade ago by first developing tomato cultures that would give heavier and traceable carbon molecules. They first learned how to optimize the generation of lycopene in tomato cultures. After that, they grew the most outstanding lycopene producers with non-radioactive carbon-13 sugars, enabling carbon-13 to be mixed with the lycopene molecules.
As majority of carbon found in nature is carbon-12, the lycopene that contains heavier carbon atoms is not difficult to follow inside the body. For the human clinical trials following the tomato cultures, the scientists traced lycopene in the blood of eight participants by making them consume lycopene labeled with non-radioactive carbon-13. They then extracted blood very hour for 10 hours. Further blood samples were obtained after days one, three and 28 of the experiment.
Study co-author John Erdman from the University of Illinois said that the findings of their investigation provided fresh information regarding the efficiency of absorption and speed of depletion of lycopene in the body.
"We determined its half-life in the body and now understand that the structural changes occur after the lycopene is absorbed," he said.
Erdman added that the new methods could aid them to further comprehend the manner in which lycopene decreases the risk and tames down the severity of prostate cancer. He also said that through the study on lycopene, their team will be able to come up with dietary proposals to prevent prostate cancer, which is associated with how lycopene is metabolized in the body.
The study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition on Wednesday, Nov. 11.
Photo: Marc Wellekötter | Flickr
