Have you ever wonder why the Italians are proud of their pizzas or spaghetti which is synonymous to their identity? Well, without going deep into it, let me say, it is simply due to the fact they, apart from being tasty, are indeed very nutritious. What is that which constitute nutritious? Hey, it is the tomatoes that comes along as the main ingredients in those foods.
Tomatoes, as we all know is a fruit that is of bright red color known to be of great antioxidants source . Lycopene, being the bright red carotenoid pigment, is a phytochemical found in tomatoes and other red fruits. As the most potent carotenoid antioxidants, lycopene is the most common carotenoid in the human body.
Carotenoids which are the red, orange and yellow coloring substances found in plants and animals, make up approximately seven hundred different categories with about fifty to sixty of these are present in a typical diet. The human body is said to contain some of the major carotenoids in the forms of beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, cryptoxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin and lycopene. Various studies show that lycopene makes up at least 50 percent of the caroteniods in the human body, accentuating its importance. These carotenoids are specifically broken down by the body, often during the process of absorption into the bloodstream from the small intestine. They make their way to specific tissues and organs where they have been shown to protect against the type of oxygen damage that can cancer, cardiovascular disease, and macular degeneration is notably significant. However, estimates of lycopene consumption have only been based; not on the use of lycopene supplements but on reported tomato intake which is the source of other nutrients including vitamin C, folate, and potassium.
The benefits derivable from tomato-based lycopene can be seen from the many scientific literature published over time. So feel free to grab on to your dear pizzas and spaghetti to be partly on the way to healthy living.
