English Cucumbers

Cucumbers are very low in calories. A cup of sliced cucumber contains 14 calories and is a source of Vitamin C.

Hot House Tomatoes

Tomatoes are a good source of Vitamin C and a source of Vitamin A, folacin and potassium.

Lycopene -- A Promising High Value-Added
Nutraceutical from Tomatoes

Tomato is an important agricultural commodity worldwide. More than 80% of processing tomatoes produced are consumed in the form of processed products such as tomato juice, paste, puree, catsup, sauce, and salsa. Tomato color is mainly due to lycopene which is the tomato major carotenoid and represents about 80-90% of total pigments. Lycopene is responsible for the characteristic deep-red color of ripe tomato fruits and tomato products. Among the various fruits and vegetables, tomato is the richest source of lycopene. Recently there has been a growing interest in investigating the ability of lycopene to act as a cancer-preventative agent. The ability of lycopene to function as an antioxidant may contribute to a reduction in disease risk. Increasing clinical evidence supports lycopene's role as an important micronutrient, since it appears to provide protection against cancers such as prostate cancer, cervical cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, and coronary heart disease, and a broad range of epithelial cancers.

What is lycopene?

Lycopene is one of a family of pigments called carotenoids, which occur naturally in fruits and vegetables. Numerous studies suggest that lycopene may actively inhibit the development of prostate, digestive tract, breast, lung and cervical cancer as well as cardiovascular disease and age-related macular degeneration - the most common form of blindness for elderly people in the western world. Lycopene, are internal bodyguards that protect human cells from free radicals * highly reactive oxidized molecules that damage the body's cell membranes and attack the DNA. The degenerative effect of free radicals, also known as "oxidative stress," is a main culprit of heart disease, cancer and aging. Free radicals can also oxidize LDL and promote blockages in the arteries. Other damaging effects of free radicals include join deterioration and nervous system degradation.

Does it prevent cancer?

Cancer risk is determined by many factors, however diet is an important one. The importance of eating fresh and processed fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy diet has been well recognized for some time. Tomatoes and tomato products, proven to be rich in lycopene - a powerful anti-oxidant that picks up free radicals in the body - can play a key role in that process.

How does it work?

Lycopene is an anti-oxidant that once absorbed by the body, helps to prevent and repair damaged cells. Anti-oxidants are compounds that fight free radicals in the body and have been shown to inhibit DNA oxidation that can lead to some cancers.

How can I get more lycopene?

The human body does not produce lycopene, but it's readily available through the diet. Minor sources include guava, rosehip, watermelon and pink grapefruit, but about 85% of dietary lycopene comes from tomatoes and tomato products such as juice, soup, sauce, paste and ketchup. Research confirms that lycopene from tomatoes is absorbed much better into the bloodstream if it is first processed.

What kind of benefits can I get from lycopene?

As lycopene levels in the blood increase, the levels of oxidized compounds decrease. Growing medical evidence attributes high intake of lycopene-rich tomato products with reduced risk of cancers of the lung, breast, prostate, cervix and digestive tract. For instance, eating tomato products regularly has been found to decrease the risk of cancer of the digestive tract among Italians. Lycopene may also help to prevent macular degenerative disease, the leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 65.

What proof is available that lycopene has these benefits?

In recent years, a number of studies have indicated that a lycopene-rich diet lowers the risk of certain chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease. As lycopene levels in the blood go up, the levels of oxidized lipoprotein, protein and DNA compounds go down. This, in turn, helps to lower the risk of cancer and heart disease. A study of 48,000 men by Harvard Medical School estimated that consuming tomato products twice a week, as opposed to never, was associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer of up to 34%. Of 46 fruits and vegetables evaluated, only tomato products showed a measurable relationship with reduced prostate cancer risk. Research conducted into breast, lung and endometrial cancer at Ben Gurion University and Soroka Medical Center in Israel shows that lycopene is even more effective than its á- and â-carotene, in causing a delay in the cell cycle progression from one growth phase to the next.

Another study, conducted by the University of North Carolina, compared fat samples from 1,379 American and European men who had suffered a heart attack with those of healthy men. It found that those with high levels of lycopene were half as likely to have an attack as those with low levels.

Lycopene helps reduce the size of malignant tumors

A new study conducted by Dr. Omer Kucuk, Professor of Medicine and Oncology at Wayne State University in Michigan, and the Karmanos Cancer Institute, assumes that a lycopene-rich diet deliver benefits that might help prevent prostate cancer, the leading form of cancer among North American Men. This research aimed at evaluating the effects of lycopene on patients with prostate cancer. Dr. Kucuk's study involved 30 men with prostate cancer scheduled for surgical removal of the prostate. During three-week period prior to surgery, participants were randomly selected to receive 15 milligrams of lycopene (pure tomato extract) twice daily. Following surgery, the tissues were analyzed to determine any differences between the two groups.

Dr. Kucuk's study showed that tumors in the group of patients who were treated daily with lycopene were smaller that those who did not receive any treatment. It also showed that serum levels of PSA decreased on patients who consumed lycopene. In addition, tumors in these patients showed regression and decreased malignancy, suggesting that lycopene may not only help prevent, but also assist in treating prostate cancer.

Lycopene inhibits genetic damage

The results of another in vitro study conducted by Dr. Frederick Khachik at the University of Maryland have suggested that lycopene and its metabolite found in tomatoes and tomato-based food products can serve a chemopreventive agents in the prevention of cancer. In this study, which has revealed several mechanisms of chemoprevention by carotenoids, lycopene has been shown to possess excellent anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. Mechanistic studies have also revealed that a metabolite of lycopene found in tomato products and in human serum can inhibit genetic damage more effectively that lycopene by increasing the expression of gap junctional communication proteins.

Processed tomato products help reduce risk of cancer and heart disease

Foods made from processed tomatoes - such as tomato ketchup, tomato soup and tomato juice - are being hailed for their role in reducing the risk of cancer and heart disease. More and more evidence is emerging for the health benefits of lycopene, a dietary carotenoid found in high concentrations in processed tomato products. Lycopene is a natural pigment which gives tomatoes their red colour. Although present in fresh tomatoes, lycopene is much more efficiently absorbed in to the bloodstream when the tomatoes have been processed.

Like its better known cousin beta-carotene, lycopene is an anti-oxidant. Anti-oxidants are compounds which fight cell-damaging free radicals in the bloodstream and are therefore associated with reduced disease risk. Already two major epidemiological studies suggest that a lycopene-rich diet delivers benefits in terms of heart disease and prostate cancer risk reduction.

There is also a hypothesis that lycopene may halt the onset of macular degeneration disease which is the major cause of blindness in people over 65.

Lycopene is not produced by the body at all but its benefits can be obtained through the diet. Lycopene is much better absorbed into the bloodstream when the tomatoes have been processed into ketchup, soup, juice, sauces and other products. Lycopene in tomatoes is converted by the temperature changes involved in processing. The chemical conversion allows the body to absorb it more easily.

Research confirms tomato juice protects against atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease

Lycopene is a very effective anti-oxidant in the fight against LDL cholesterol oxidation and its associated health risks. The tissue and serum levels of lycopene are inversely related to the risk of developing coronary heart disease.

For more information on the nutritional value of Greenhouse Tomatoes, visit the Canadian Cancer Society