Lycopene Intake by Canadian Women Is Variable, Similar Among Different Ages, But Greater Than That Reported for Women in Other Countries

Abstract

Lycopene is an antioxidant associated with a reduced risk of chronic diseases common in women such as osteoporosis and cancer; however, no official recommendation for lycopene consumption exists, and intake data from Canadian women are limited. This study was designed to generate information about average lycopene intake in Canadian women of different ages. A cross-sectional study was conducted at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. One hundred one women, between the ages of 25 and 70 years, who were not on any medications, were recruited to record their diet for 7 days. Statistical analyses were performed to compare the types of lycopene-containing foods consumed, associations between intake of lycopene and macro/micronutrients, and whether participant characteristics, such as body mass index, could predict lycopene intake. Average lycopene intake was 6.14 +/- 5.35 mg/day, which is higher than reported in other countries. Intake was similar among age groups but was highly variable. Raw tomatoes were the most frequently consumed source of lycopene, while participants with the highest lycopene intake consumed more cooked/processed tomato products than those with lower intake (P < .005). Participants 25-49 years old consumed more dried/powdered tomatoes (P < .05), pizza (P < .002), and ketchup (P < .10) than 50-70 year olds. Lycopene intake could not be predicted by any participant characteristics. In older participants, lycopene intake was positively correlated with intake of calcium, niacin, and vitamins A, D, and K (P < or = .05). These findings are significant to women's health and may contribute to the establishment of nutritional and health recommendations regarding consumption of lycopene by Canadian women to prevent chronic diseases.

Lycopene in Combination With Sorafenib Additively Inhibits Tumor Metastasis in Mice Xenografted With Lewis Lung Carcinoma Cells

“…Rao and Shen ( 54 ) pointed out that when the daily intake of lycopene in healthy adults reaches 57 mg, the concentration of lycopene in the blood may be sufficient to resist oxidative stress and various chronic diseases. A Canadian epidemiological study showed that the average daily intake of lycopene per woman is 6.14 ± 5.35 mg ( n = 101) ( 55 ); another epidemiological study showed that the average daily dietary intake of lycopene in healthy women was 9.25 ± 6.43 mg ( n = 632), and in breast cancer patients was 7.12 ± 6.73 mg ( n = 122) ( 56 ). Thus, the effective dosage of lycopene to have an anti-metastasis efficacy i.e., 6.96 mg/day obtained by the results of this study is not difficult to achieve from a dietary intake.…”

Dietary restriction of lycopene for a period of one month resulted in significantly increased biomarkers of oxidative stress and bone resorption in postmenopausal women

“…The range of lycopene intake was quite wide, from 0 to 12.3 mg per day, with 39% of participants consuming 2 mg or less per day. In North America, approximately 50% of the population consume a relatively low intake of 2 mg or less of lycopene per day (3), however, according to studies by us and others (31,32) the average lycopene intake in Canadian women is approximately 5-6 mg/day. Considering the fact that the majority of clinical trials supply at least 15 mg/day to determine the effects of lycopene (33), an intake of < 2 mg per day is quite low.…”

Protection against Chemotaxis in the Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Bioactives from Tomato Ketchup

“…Tomato products are frequently consumed in the Western World and a popular tomato product is tomato ketchup [28] , [29] . There are no reports on the effect of tomato ketchup on inflammation.…”