lycopene Archives - Lugo Nutrition Inc.

November 30 2017

Lycopene Benefits You Need to Know

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Lycopene

The Benefits You Need to Know About

For lunch or dinner, you plan a delicious salad filled with cherry tomatoes, carrots and maybe even some chunks of watermelon. Perhaps you choose a different route and go for some pasta with tomato sauce or a burger slathered in ketchup. No matter which option you select, you will be getting plenty of lycopene, an important nutrient with lots of health-inducing qualities.

We all know the benefits and rules for eating healthy (even if we don’t always follow them) but exactly what we should be eating for maximum effect can be confusing and it seems to change all the time. One nutrient with benefits that is easy to fit into your diet, is lycopene. When you learn about the numerous rewards from this key antioxidant, you will be eager to consume even more of it into your meals and your life.

What is Lycopene, Exactly?

Lycopene (C40 H56) and its benefits were first discovered in 1959 by Ernst. You can find it in tomatoes and tomato products like paste and juice, watermelon, papaya, apricots, goji, guava, carrots and pink grapefruit.

Lycopene is the naturally-occurring chemical that gives a red color to many fruits and vegetables. It is one of the pigments that make up a group called carotenoids. There are more than 600 of these fat-soluble plant compounds.

As a carotenoid, it contains organic pigments that are easily converted to vitamin A. It is also a phytonutrient, meaning it’s an organic nutrient found in plants, so it also presents anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Antioxidants are compounds which help counteract the negative effects of free radicals and prevent damage to DNA.

After consumption, lycopene is released into your lymphatic system and then travels throughout your body, such as your liver, colon and adrenal glands. It has a unique molecular design which is responsible for its red color and easy absorption.

Your body does not naturally produce lycopene so you have to get it from foods and supplements. Many consider it a more effective antioxidant than any other nutrient, like beta-carotene.

How Does Lycopene Improve Your Health?

The main benefit of lycopene is that it helps protect your body from cell damage. Research shows this may make it especially helpful in cancer prevention. It helps to enhance the strength and thickness of cell membranes. The cell membrane is what protects the cells from toxins and other junk, but lets the good stuff pass through. It also aids in communication and connectivity between cells. Tough, hearty cells are the key to disease prevention.

How Much Lycopene Do You Need?

Health experts recommend getting 10 servings of tomato products each week. Which will give you approximately 6-15 milligrams of lycopene every day. Most of us get about 80 percent of our intake from tomato products like pasta or pizza sauces. Just one cup of sauce provides more than 20 milligrams of lycopene.

Tomato extract has become a popular supplement for lycopene consumption. You can also get it from fresh, uncooked tomatoes and certain fruits. However this provides only a small amount due to the indigestible fiber on the skin of these foods which prevent easy absorption. How much you should take or consume depends on several factors, such as your age and overall health.

You should always follow dosing directions on any supplements. Too much lycopene could result in skin pigmentation, allergies and immune system imbalances, but this is rare and only happens when you greatly exceed the recommended daily allowance over an extended period of time. There has been no research suggesting any serious side effects from lycopene supplements or a diet rich in the nutrient. So enjoy these foods and reap the health benefits.

October 15 2017

Beta Carotene & Energy Drinks

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Beta Carotene

Why is it in Energy Drinks?

In our constant effort to get more done in less time, many of us turn to energy drinks to stay alert longer and increase productivity. But do you really know what’s in these little cans of awesomeness? You may have noticed that many of them contain beta carotene but you’ve never wondered why.

You have to ask the right questions if you want the most helpful answers. For example, if you want to know how effective energy drinks really are, you might need to ask why they include beta carotene in the list of ingredients.

Why Energy Drinks?

Looking at the ingredients of most energy drinks can be overwhelming. Some are items you can’t even recognize or pronounce, like glucuronolactone. One that may be familiar is beta carotene.

Since it is an antioxidant, it helps to keep you healthy. Antioxidants help your body recover from activity and exercise. Preventing illness and cell damage will allow you to maintain top form and give you energy. Although there are no hard and fast rules regarding recommended dosage, many health experts suggest getting 6-20 milligrams of beta carotene daily for maximum effectiveness.

Vitamin A and beta carotene are stored in the liver. The body only uses beta carotene when needed. A healthy liver can make you feel less sluggish and more energized.

Another reason it may be used in energy drinks is because it’s a natural pigment. As a natural compound, energy drink manufacturers can include it to enhance the color appeal of their product while still keeping the drink healthy and organic. With beta carotene, you get the color boosting properties in addition to the numerous advantages of vitamin A, making it a win-win.

It can also help to boost your immune system. This means that your body can do a better job of fending off illness and colds. And what could be more energy-inducing than that?

What is Beta Carotene, Exactly?

It is one of nature’s most vital compounds. It also belongs of a group of phytochemicals called carotenoids which one usually finds in plants. The main claim to fame lies in its ability to convert into vitamin A. This makes it a precursor of vitamin A. You can get more than 50 percent of the vitamin A you need from beta carotene and other carotenoids.

Vitamin A is necessary for healthy skin and eyes, to boost your immune system and to protect your cells from harmful free radicals. While beta carotene itself is not a key nutrient, vitamin A is. After you eat it, beta carotene converts to retinol, a highly usable form of vitamin A.

Additionally, since vitamin A can be toxic at high levels, beta carotene is beneficial because your body can store it in your liver and use it only as necessary. An overdose of vitamin A is not common and is typically the result of taking too many supplements.

If you consistently consume slightly more than the recommended amount, beta carotene is not seriously harmful. Although you could experience an orange tint in your skin color. However, overdosing on vitamin A overtime can cause it to build up in your body. Which may lead to liver damage. It can also cause vomiting, muscle weakness, or lead to osteoporosis. While too much beta carotene can be harmful for people who smoke.

Beta carotene is responsible for giving a bright orange or yellow color to many fruits and vegetables. This includes oranges, carrots, grapefruit, apricots, peppers, sweet potatoes and squash. For this reason, we also use it as a natural food coloring for products like margarine, which would otherwise be white.

Like all carotenoids, beta carotene is an antioxidant. This means that it protects your cells from damage by oxidation. Free radicals and other toxins can damage cells, causing a variety of cancers and chronic illnesses.

History & Research

Its name comes from Greek (beta) and Latin (carota or carrot). First isolated in 1831 by H. Wachenroder, the chemical formula, C40 H56 was established in 1907. The chemical company Roche began producing it commercially in 1954. And after many years of careful study, its usefulness as an antioxidant and in preventing cancer was determined in the 1908s. Since then, research has verified its effectiveness in avoiding or treating a number of diseases, including arthritis and cystic fibrosis.

Some research suggests that beta carotene could decelerate mental deterioration and help older adults increase lung strength. Experts have also found that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables with beta carotene have a lower risk of developing certain cancers and heart disease. Studies show that it has an effect on the likelihood of developing breast and ovarian cancer.

It has also been studied to discover the benefits for those with exercise-induced asthma, cataracts, and epilepsy, in addition to heartburn, infertility, arthritis and skin disorders like psoriasis.

Little Known Facts

Flamingoes have their characteristic red-orange glow due to a diet high in beta carotene.
Some prescription drugs, such as those for weight loss and cholesterol, can lower the amount or absorption effectiveness of beta carotene.
It can help you see better in the dark, since vitamin A prevents a degenerative eye disease called xerophthalmia, which causes night blindness.
You should consume supplements with meals containing at least three grams of fat to help with absorption, since beta carotene is fat-soluble.
The deeper the orange color of a carrot, the more beta carotene you will get from it.
It is the most active of all carotenoids.
You get more beta carotene from carrot juice than you do from eating an actual carrot.
Although there are over 50 different types of carotenoids, beta carotene is used in supplements more than any other and is considered to be the most important.