Article

Dietary Lycopene, Tomato-Based Food Products and Cardiovascular Disease in Women

July 2003
Journal of Nutrition 133(7):2336-41

DOI:10.1093/jn/133.7.2336

Source
PubMed

Authors:

Simin Liu

Brown University

J Michael Gaziano

Brigham and Women's Hospital

In addition to the inverse association of dietary lycopene with various cancers, studies suggest a role for lycopene in cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention. We determined whether the intake of lycopene or tomato-based foods is associated with the risk of CVD in a prospective cohort of 39,876 middle-aged and older women initially free of CVD and cancer. Participants completed a food-frequency questionnaire and provided self-reports of coronary risk factors. Dietary lycopene levels were divided into quintiles, and primary lycopene food sources (total tomato-based products, including tomatoes, tomato juice, tomato sauce and pizza) were categorized. During 7.2 y of follow-up, 719 CVD cases (including myocardial infarction, stroke, revascularization and CVD death) occurred. Compared with women in the 1st quintile of lycopene, those in increasing quintiles had multivariate relative risks (RR) of CVD of 1.11, 1.14, 1.15 and 0.90 (P for trend = 0.34). For the consumption of tomato-based products, women consuming 1.5 to <4, 4 to <7, 7 to <10 and >or=10 servings/wk had RR (95% CI) of CVD of 1.02 (0.82-1.26), 1.04 (0.82-1.31), 0.68 (0.49-0.96) and 0.71 (0.42-1.17) (P for trend = 0.029) compared with women consuming <1.5 servings/wk. Among lycopene food sources, those in the highest levels of tomato sauce (>or=2 servings/wk) and pizza intake (>or=2 servings/wk), with multivariate RR of 0.76 (0.55-1.05) and 0.66 (0.37-1.18), respectively, had potential reductions in CVD risk. Dietary lycopene was not strongly associated with the risk of CVD. However, the possible inverse associations noted for higher levels of tomato-based products, particularly tomato sauce and pizza, with CVD suggest that dietary lycopene or other phytochemicals consumed as oil-based tomato products confer cardiovascular benefits.

Optimization of Main Ingredient Ratio, Metabolomics Analysis, and Antioxidant Activity Analysis of Lycopene-Enriched Compound Fruit Wine

Article

Full-text available

Jun 2023

To find the optimal main ingredient ratio of compound fruit wine for enriching the varieties of lycopene-enriched fruit products and improving their economic value, fuzzy mathematics sensory evaluation and the D-optimal mixture design were considered. Under the main ingredient ratios of tomato juice, papaya juice, carrot juice, and gac fruit juice of 27.2%, 27.5%, 10.0%, and 35.3%, respectively, a clear and transparent compound fruit wine with a full-bodied fruit and wine aroma and mellow taste can be obtained. Meanwhile, a total of 406 metabolites were identified in the compound fruit wine, which were classified into nine superclasses including lipids and lipid-like molecules (150), organic acids and derivatives (69), and others. The relative levels of 54 metabolites after optimization were decreased significantly (VIP > 1.0, p < 0.05, FC < 0.5), while the relative levels of 106 metabolites including lycopene and (13Z)-lycopene were increased significantly (VIP > 1.0, p < 0.05, FC > 2). Furthermore, the EC50 values of this compound fruit wine after optimization of the main ingredient ratio for scavenging ABTS+·, DPPH·, O2−·, and ·OH were 78.62%, 57.74%, 42.85%, and 59.91%, respectively. Together, a compound fruit wine rich in lycopene with antioxidant activities was manufactured, which has application potential in the development of functional foods.

The Role of Antioxidants in the Therapy of Cardiovascular Diseases—A Literature Review

Article

Full-text available

Aug 2024

Antioxidants are endogenous and exogenous substances with the ability to inhibit oxidation processes by interacting with reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS, in turn, are small, highly reactive substances capable of oxidizing a wide range of molecules in the human body, including nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and even small inorganic compounds. The overproduction of ROS leads to oxidative stress, which constitutes a significant factor contributing to the development of disease, not only markedly diminishing the quality of life but also representing the most common cause of death in developed countries, namely, cardiovascular disease (CVD). The aim of this review is to demonstrate the effect of selected antioxidants, such as coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), flavonoids, carotenoids, and resveratrol, as well as to introduce new antioxidant therapies utilizing miRNA and nanoparticles, in reducing the incidence and progression of CVD. In addition, new antioxidant therapies in the context of the aforementioned diseases will be considered. This review emphasizes the pleiotropic effects and benefits stemming from the presence of the mentioned substances in the organism, leading to an overall reduction in cardiovascular risk, including coronary heart disease, dyslipidaemia, hypertension, atherosclerosis, and myocardial hypertrophy.

Fresh Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) in the Diet Improves the Features of the Metabolic Syndrome: A Randomized Study in Postmenopausal Women

Article

Full-text available

Aug 2024

Simple Summary To investigate the impact of tomato consumption on reducing metabolic syndrome risk factors in overweight postmenopausal women, we conducted a randomized controlled trial with an 8-week open-label dietary intervention. Overweight postmenopausal women aged 45–70 were randomly divided into two groups: a control diet and a tomato diet. The tomato diet group showed significantly lower body fat mass, body fat percentage, waist circumference, and hip circumference compared with the control group. They also had significantly lower serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, systolic blood pressure, and blood sugar levels, as well as higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Additionally, antioxidant biomarkers such as FRAP, beta-carotenoids, and lycopene were significantly higher in the tomato diet group. These findings suggest that fresh tomato consumption can enhance antioxidant biomarkers and reduce metabolic syndrome risks in postmenopausal women. Abstract (1) Background: According to the 2005~2008 Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan (NAHSIT), more than half of Taiwanese women (57.3%) had metabolic syndrome during menopause. Metabolic syndrome is a set of risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and mortality. Epidemiological studies suggest that the consumption of tomato-based foods might reduce the risk factors for CVD. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of tomato consumption on lowering the metabolic syndrome risk factors among overweight postmenopausal women. (2) Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial using 8-week open-label dietary intervention. Overweight postmenopausal women aged 45–70 years old were recruited from Taipei Medical University in October 2013. They were randomly assigned into two groups (a control diet vs. a tomato diet). Blood samples were collected at the baseline and at the 4th and 8th weeks. The lipid profile, blood sugar, and antioxidant biomarkers, i.e., the ferric-reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) and serum carotenoids, were analyzed. Blood pressure, body weight, and body fat were also measured every week. (3) Results: After the 8-week dietary intervention, body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, and hip circumference were significantly lower in both groups (p < 0.05). Body fat mass, body fat percentage, waist circumference, and hip circumference were significantly lower in the tomato diet group than in the control diet group. The tomato diet group had significantly lower serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, systolic blood pressure and blood sugar, and higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol than the control diet group. The antioxidant biomarkers, FRAP, beta-carotenoids, and lycopene were significantly higher in the tomato diet group than in the control diet group. (4) Conclusions: Fresh tomato consumption can increase antioxidant biomarkers to reduce risks of metabolic syndrome in postmenopausal women.

Identification of ascorbic acid and phytochemical profiles of Scotch Bonnet pepper (Capsicum chinense) using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Ultraviolet Detector (HPLC-UV)

Article

Full-text available

Dec 2023

Researchers have discovered that red and green scotch peppers are extremely rich in phytochemicals and that these secondary metabolites are connected to several biological processes in the human body. This study aimed to determine the numerous phytochemicals present in scotch pepper seeds, flesh, and red and green varieties. The samples were pulverized after being air-dried. The phytochemicals and ascorbic acid contents were examined using a High-performance Liquid Chromatography-Ultraviolet detector (HPLC-UV). Twelve phytochemicals and ascorbic acid were identified in the flesh and seed of red scotch pepper, with lycopene having the highest content (83.10 mg/kg), the ascorbic acid content of 8.80 mg/kg; moreover, the seed of red scotch pepper revealed twelve phytochemicals and lycopene being the highest content (75.60 mg/kg) and ascorbic acid content of 6.80 mg/kg, furthermore, fourteen phytochemicals were identified in the flesh of red scotch bonnet pepper with lycopene the highest quantity (86.00 mg/kg) and ascorbic content of 10.60 mg/kg. Twelve phytochemicals were identified in the flesh and seed of green scotch bonnet pepper, lycopene (68.70 mg/kg) being the highest content, ascorbic acid content (6.50 mg/kg), twelve phytochemicals were revealed in the flesh of green pepper and lycopene had highest quantity (76.30 mg/kg), in the seed of green pepper, the lycopene content was 68.70 mg/kg. However, it has been shown that capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin, and lutein concentrations varied, with red scotch pepper flesh having the highest concentration of capsaicin (7.50 mg/kg). The lycopene and ascorbic acid contents of flesh were the highest (86.00 mg/kg) and (10.60 mg/kg). The study's findings showed that red pepper flesh was better than other components that were looked at.

Antioxidant Properties and Health Benefits of Tomato

Chapter

Full-text available

Jan 2022

The most common vegetable found in every kitchen around the world is the tomato. It occupies a coveted position among the vegetables not only because of its nutritional and antioxidant properties but also can be processed to different products which contributed largely to international trade. The nutritional and antioxidant properties of tomato and tomato products have become a major concern as more consumers are now aware of the health benefits and their medicinal potentials. They were found to reduce risk of cholesterol, risk of heart disease, blood pressure, risk of cancer; protect against cellular damage; prevents acidosis, strokes; boost immunity, bone health and helps in wound healing. This chapter provides an in-depth understanding of tomato, the major antioxidants present in different parts of tomato and different forms of tomato products while elaborating their health and medicinal impacts.

Four-Week Supplementation of Water-Soluble Tomato Extract Attenuates Platelet Function in Chinese Healthy Middle-Aged and Older Individuals: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, and Crossover Clinical Trial

Article

Full-text available

Jun 2022

Background and Aims Platelets are linked to atherosclerotic development and pathological thrombosis. Single dose of water-soluble tomato extract (WTE) which is a natural extraction can exert anti-platelet effects after 3 or 7 h in British healthy people. However, the effects of WTE supplementation on platelet function in Chinese healthy middle-aged and older individuals have not been studied, and the effects or safety of 4-week WTE supplementation also remain unclear. The present study aims to determine the effects of WTE on platelet function, and explore the safety of 4-week WTE supplementation in Chinese healthy middle-aged and older individuals. Methods A randomized, double-blinded, and crossover clinical trial was conducted. Firstly, 105 individuals were randomly divided into two groups that received WTE (150 mg/day) or placebo for 4 weeks. Then, after a washout period of 2 weeks, two groups exchanged groups and continued for another 4-week intervention. Platelet aggregation, P-selectin, activated GPIIbIIIa, plasma platelet factor 4 (PF4), β-thromboglobulin (β-TG), and thromboxane B2 (TXB2) were tested at baseline, 4, 6, and 10 weeks. Results Compared with the placebo group, 150 mg/day WTE supplement for 4 weeks significantly reduced ADP-induced or collagen-induced platelet aggregation (−10.8 ± 1.8 or −3.9 ± 1.5%, P < 0.05), ADP-induced or collagen-induced platelet P-selectin expression (−6.9 ± 1.5 or −6.6 ± 1.3%, P < 0.05), ADP-induced or collagen-induced activated GPIIbIIIa (−6.2 ± 2.0 or −3.8 ± 2.0%, P < 0.05). Besides, 4-week intervention of 150 mg WTE per day also resulted in significant reductions in plasma PF4 (−120.6 ± 33.2 ng/mL, P < 0.05) and β-TG (−129.7 ± 27.5 ng/mL, P < 0.05) and TXB2 (−42.0 ± 4.0 ng/mL, P < 0.05), while had no effects on coagulation function and liver or renal function. Interestingly, 2-week washout period is enough to reverse the inhibitory effect of 4-week WTE supplementation on platelet function. Conclusion WTE supplementation for 4 weeks could moderately reduce platelet activation, aggregation, and granule secretion in Chinese healthy middle-aged and older individuals, and these effects are safe. After 2-week washout period, the inhibitory effect of 4-week WTE on platelet function can be eliminated. Clinical Trial Registration [http://www.chictr.org.cn/], identifier [ChiCTR-POR-17012927].

The Effect of Tomato Extract, Tomato Puree and Lycopene on Lipid Profile of Albino Rats and in Silico Simulation in Human

Article

Full-text available

Jun 2025
NAT PROD COMMUN

Background Cardiovascular disorders, including atherosclerosis, are the leading causes of mortality worldwide, and prophylactic measures to combat these disorders deserve special attention. Objective This study was designed to determine the effects of pure lycopene, raw tomato, and tomato puree on the lipid profile of albino rats fed a high-fat diet in vivo in rats and in silico in humans. Materials and methods Twenty-five albino rats were divided into five groups of five rats each: the group fed a normal diet; the group fed a high-fat diet; the group fed a high-fat diet plus pure lycopene; the group fed a high-fat diet plus freeze-dried raw tomato; and the group fed a high-fat diet plus freeze-dried tomato puree. After six weeks of treatment, blood samples were collected from the rats, and the serum lipid profile was determined using an enzymatic colorimetric method. Result The total serum cholesterol levels (TC), total triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and cholesterol-to-HDL ratio levels were significantly (p < .05) increased in the group fed a high-fat diet compared to the group fed a normal diet. However, the mean TC, TG, LDL, and cholesterol/HDL ratio of the groups fed with high-fat diet plus pure lycopene, those fed a high-fat diet plus freeze-dried raw tomato, and those fed with high-fat diet plus freeze-dried tomato puree were significantly (p < .05) lower compared to the group fed with high-fat diet and the group fed with normal diet. The high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels were significantly lower in the group fed with high-fat diet compared to the treatment groups fed with high-fat diet plus freeze-dried raw tomato and those fed with high-fat diet plus freeze-dried tomato puree. Interestingly, the group fed with high-fat diet plus freeze-dried raw tomato apparently had the lowest mean values of TC, TG, LDL, and TC/HDL ratio and the highest value of HDL among the treatment groups. The in-silico analysis in human showed the PPARA protein as the hub gene involved in lipid metabolism of tomatoes, primarily implicating the PPAR signaling pathway, adipocytokine signaling pathway, and thyroid hormone signaling pathway. 9-Octadecenoic acid, Cis 9-Octadecanoic acid, Methyl cis-9-octadecenoate were the three most active compounds involved. Conclusion These findings can enhance our understanding of the supplementation of lycopene and tomato products as potential measures to protect against hyperlipidemia, excessive abdominal fat deposition, and associated diseases in mammals, including humans.

Agrivoltaics as a climate-smart and resilient solution for midday depression in photosynthesis in dryland regions

Article

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Jun 2025

Global projections of increased temperature and aridity have exacerbated concerns over our potential to achieve Sustainable Development Goals associated with food, energy, and water futures. We evaluated the implications of an agrivoltaics approach—combining agriculture and solar photovoltaics—on the microclimate growing conditions of crop species. While agrivoltaics is being explored globally for its potential to reduce soil evaporation rates and impact yield, empirical research on the mechanistic drivers of the potential for agrivoltaics is needed. Agrivoltaics mitigated the midday depression in photosynthesis experienced by crops grown in hot and arid environments, which led to reduced water stress, equal or greater daily carbon assimilation, and equal or greater yield across all crops. Our findings indicate agrivoltaics could be a climate-smart agricultural approach, and the diurnal resolution of our data points towards mechanisms for optimizing agrivoltaic designs to align with Sustainable Development Goals for food and energy production and water savings.

IJFANS INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD AND NUTRITIONAL SCIENCES UNVEILING THE POTENCY OF THE INHERENT RED PIGMENT -LYCOPENE

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2025

Food processing by-products constitute a rich reservoir of bioactive compounds and natural pigments, offering significant potential for applications in functional food development, nutraceuticals, food additives, and cosmeceuticals. Lycopene, a naturally occurring carotenoid, exhibits potent antioxidative and bioactive properties and is primarily responsible for the red pigmentation in various plant sources. Industrial by-products of plant origin represent a valuable and sustainable source for lycopene extraction. The growing scientific interest in lycopene is driven by accumulating evidence from in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo studies, which consistently correlate lycopene-rich dietary intake with a reduced incidence of various pathophysiological conditions, including carcinogenesis, cardiovascular disorders, and metabolic diseases such as diabetes. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the physicochemical characteristics, absorption kinetics, metabolic pathways, and biodistribution of lycopene and its derivatives within the human body. Additionally, the molecular interactions of lycopene with other bioactive constituents are explored to elucidate its mechanistic roles in disease prevention. Furthermore, the influence of food processing techniques on the structural integrity, stability, and bioavailability of lycopene is critically examined, with the objective of optimizing its functional applications in health and disease management.

Sun-dried tomato powder reduces blood sugar levels and improves the lipid profile among people with type-2 diabetes: A randomized controlled trial

Article

Full-text available

Dec 2024

Background Diabetes mellitus is a complex metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycaemia, leading to significant health complications and increased healthcare costs. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is projected to rise dramatically by 2040, especially in India, where factors such as genetic predisposition, obesity, and lifestyle contribute to its high incidence. Treatment methods usually involve pharmacological interventions that carry side effects, prompting interest in non-pharmacological strategies.Objective This study investigates the effects of supplementation with sun-dried tomato powder, rich in antioxidants like lycopene, on glycaemic and lipid profiles in individuals with T2DM.Methods This is an open-label, single-centre, two-arm parallel group, prospective randomized controlled trial. A total of 100 T2DM patients were recruited from Army Welfare Housing Organization Society, Belagavi, Karnataka in the southern part of India and randomly assigned to receive for 60 days either sun-dried tomato powder (25g daily) or a control treatment of tepid water with ghee. The primary outcomes included fasting blood sugar (FBS), postprandial blood sugar (PPBS), and HbA1c levels, while the secondary outcomes focused on lipid profile. A group of 10 subjects was formed and divided into 10 cohorts. One cohort provided blood samples daily for 10 consecutive days for laboratory analysis.ResultsThere was a significant reduction in FBS and PPBS, along with improvements in lipid profile, including HDL and VLDL, observed exclusively in the experimental group (EG) (p<0.001). Notably, the experimental group showed a significant difference in FBS and PPBS compared to the control group (p<0.001). However, HbA1c did not exhibit any significant changes (p=0.347).Conclusions Our findings indicate that sun-dried tomato powder effectively reduces blood sugar levels and improves lipid profiles in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), offering a promising non-pharmacological intervention.

The Key Nutrients in the Mediterranean Diet and Their Effects in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Narrative Review

Article

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Dec 2024

The gut microbiome, a collection of gut microorganisms, is crucial in the development and progression of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Therefore, diet and dietary interventions are promising strategies to shape the gut microbiota for IBD management. Of all the diets studied in the IBD field, the Mediterranean diet has the least restrictive nature, promoting long-term adherence. The Mediterranean diet is rich in plants, with a high daily intake of fruits and vegetables (high in fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins), olive oil, whole grains, legumes, and nuts. It includes the moderate consumption of animal products such as oily fish (rich in mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids), dairy products, and poultry, with a limited intake of red meat and processed foods. This diet is associated with a decreased risk of chronic diseases, including IBD. However, the mechanisms of specific nutrients behind these effects in the Mediterranean diet remain under investigation. Therefore, in this review, we aim to provide an overview of the nutrients that are abundant in the Mediterranean diet and their effects on IBD, with a main focus on preclinical evidence. While several nutrients like fructo-oligosaccharide, chitosan, plant-derived protein, polyphenols, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and resveratrol have shown potential beneficial effects in preclinical models, clinical evidence is often limited. However, understanding the complex interactions between specific nutrients and IBD is essential to developing a tailored, multidisciplinary, and personalized approach for disease management; therefore, further research is required.

Antioxidant and Nutraceutical Potential of Tomato for Health and Life Quality: A Review

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2023
EUR FOOD RES TECHNOL

The significance of diet in connection to human health has raised consumer demand for foods high in nutraceuticals, particularly fruits, and vegetables. The antioxidant phytochemicals vitamins A, C, & E, beta-carotene, carotenes, flavonoids, flavones, total phenolic compounds, etc. are just a few of the many antioxidant phytochemicals that tomatoes are a rich source of DNA, protein, and lipid are all severely harmed by oxidant byproducts of normal metabolism. This damage is a potential contributor to aging as well as degenerative and malignant disorders such as cataracts, immune system decline, cardiovascular disease, and a variety of cancers. Flavonoids, ascorbate, tocopherol, and carotenoids, among others, are antioxidant defenses against these harms. The phenolic chemicals found in tomatoes may also function as antimicrobials, aiding in the management of a wide range of infections. Finally, we want to underline how important it is to establish a connection between the unique breeding of tomato plants and genetic research with the production and overexpression of compounds that are beneficial to human health.

Drought-Adapted Mediterranean Diet Plants: A Source of Bioactive Molecules Able to Give Nutrigenomic Effects per sè or to Obtain Functional Foods

Article

Full-text available

Feb 2024
INT J MOL SCI

The Mediterranean diet features plant-based foods renowned for their health benefits derived from bioactive compounds. This review aims to provide an overview of the bioactive molecules present in some representative Mediterranean diet plants, examining their human nutrigenomic effects and health benefits as well as the environmental advantages and sustainability derived from their cultivation. Additionally, it explores the facilitation of producing fortified foods aided by soil and plant microbiota properties. Well-studied examples, such as extra virgin olive oil and citrus fruits, have demonstrated significant health advantages, including anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects. Other less renowned plants are presented in the scientific literature with their beneficial traits on human health highlighted. Prickly pear’s indicaxanthin exhibits antioxidant properties and potential anticancer traits, while capers kaempferol and quercetin support cardiovascular health and prevent cancer. Oregano and thyme, containing terpenoids like carvacrol and γ-terpinene, exhibit antimicrobial effects. Besides their nutrigenomic effects, these plants thrive in arid environments, offering benefits associated with their cultivation. Their microbiota, particularly Plant Growth Promoting (PGP) microorganisms, enhance plant growth and stress tolerance, offering biotechnological opportunities for sustainable agriculture. In conclusion, leveraging plant microbiota could revolutionize agricultural practices and increase sustainability as climate change threatens biodiversity. These edible plant species may have crucial importance, not only as healthy products but also for increasing the sustainability of agricultural systems.

Genetics and evolutionary insights from Solanaceae genome sequences

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Dec 2023
PLANT SYST EVOL

Keithellakpam Sanatombi

The availability of genome sequence resources and genomic information enables the functional characterization of genes in crop plants. These genes can be used in targeted crop breeding to accelerate crop improvement. Publication of genome assemblies of major Solanaceae crops and their wild relatives during the last decade has provided information for basic research and breeding programs. This review discusses the current status of Solanaceae genome sequencing studies, as well as genetics and evolutionary insights gained from them. Comparative analyses of the high-quality genome sequences revealed the evolutionary history of the genomes. The studies also shed new insights into the diversification of species accompanied by changes in the sizes, content, and organization of genomes. Annotation of the sequenced genomes further revealed gene networks and the putative function of genes involved in the evolution of a number of phenotypic traits. Future studies with more genomes of other Solanaceae crops and wild relatives from different clades will facilitate the reconstruction of more comprehensive phylogenies and the identification of genetic bases for phenotypic diversification across the family.

Bioactive Compounds and Biological Activities of Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.)

Chapter

Sep 2023

Trehalose regulates the quality and antioxidant capacity of cherry tomato during postharvest ripening

Article

Aug 2023

Trehalose has been extensively studied in the application of fruit preservation, but little has been reported in cherry tomato preservation. The present work investigated the effects of postharvest trehalose treatment on cherry tomato spoilage rate, antioxidant capacity, and fruit quality through the application of 0.5 and 1% (w/v) trehalose. Our results indicated that trehalose treatment could reduce rot from 44.5 to 18.5%, maintain the fruit flavour and quality, and delay the decrease in antioxidant content. At 15 d postharvest, the diphenyl-picryl hydrazide (DPPH) scavenging capacity, superoxide anion (·O2-) production, and malonaldehyde (MDA) content were 78.1%, 1.04 mmol.min-1.kg-1, and 0.8 μmol.kg-1 in cherry tomato treated with 0.5% (w/v) trehalose, respectively. Trehalose-treated fruits maintained higher antioxidant capacities as compared to the control. Moreover, trehalose treatment increased the activities of superoxidase dismutase (SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and inhibited the activity of lipoxygenase (LOX). The expression of encoding antioxidant genes was generally upregulated under trehalose treatment. However, the expression of SlLOX gene was significantly lower during storage, at only one-tenth of the control at 9 d. In conclusion, trehalose treatment had positive effects on decreasing decay incidence by increasing antioxidant capacity in cherry tomato.

Antioxidant and Nutraceutical Potential of Tomato for Health and Life Quality: A Review

Article

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Jan 2023

Natural Products in Renal-Associated Drug Discovery

Article

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Aug 2023

The global increase in the incidence of kidney failure constitutes a major public health problem. Kidney disease is classified into acute and chronic: acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with an abrupt decline in kidney function and chronic kidney disease (CKD) with chronic renal failure for more than three months. Although both kidney syndromes are multifactorial, inflammation and oxidative stress play major roles in the diversity of processes leading to these kidney malfunctions. Here, we reviewed various publications on medicinal plants with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties with the potential to treat and manage kidney-associated diseases in rodent models. Additionally, we conducted a meta-analysis to identify gene signatures and associated biological processes perturbed in human and mouse cells treated with antioxidants such as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the active ingredient in green tea, and the mushroom Ganoderma lucidum (GL) and in kidney disease rodent models. We identified EGCG- and GL-regulated gene signatures linked to metabolism; inflammation (NRG1, E2F1, NFKB1 and JUN); ion signalling; transport; renal processes (SLC12A1 and LOX) and VEGF, ERBB and BDNF signalling. Medicinal plant extracts are proving to be effective for the prevention, management and treatment of kidney-associated diseases; however, more detailed characterisations of their targets are needed to enable more trust in their application in the management of kidney-associated diseases.

Does Pizza Consumption Favor an Improved Disease Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Article

Full-text available

Aug 2023

To our knowledge, no studies so far have investigated the role of pizza and its ingredients in modulating disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We assessed this question via a recent cross-sectional study including 365 participants from Italy, the birthplace of pizza. Multiple robust linear and logistic regression models were fitted with the tertile consumption categories of each available pizza-related food item/group (i.e., pizza, refined grains, mozzarella cheese, and olive oil) as independent variables, and each available RA activity measure (i.e., the Disease Activity Score on 28 joints with C-reactive protein (DAS28-CRP), and the Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI)) as the dependent variable. Stratified analyses were carried out according to the disease severity or duration. Participants eating half a pizza >1 time/week (vs. ≤2 times/month) reported beneficial effects on disease activity, with the significant reductions of ~70% (overall analysis), and 80% (the more severe stratum), and the significant beta coefficients of −0.70 for the DAS28-CRP, and −3.6 for the SDAI (overall analysis) and of −1.10 and −5.30 (in long-standing and more severe RA, respectively). Among the pizza-related food items/groups, mozzarella cheese and olive oil showed beneficial effects, especially in the more severe stratum. Future cohort studies are needed to confirm this beneficial effect of pizza and related food items/groups on RA disease activity.

The Effects of Lycopene and Tomato Consumption on Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Adults: A Grade Assessment Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Article

Jul 2023
CURR PHARM DESIGN

Background and objective: In recent times, modifying dietary habits to control cardiovascular risk factors has gained significant attention. However, previous studies have yielded inconsistent results regarding the effects of lycopene and tomato consumption on cardiovascular risk factors. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the impact of consuming lycopene and tomatoes on various cardiovascular risks factors such as lipid profile, glycemic control markers, blood pressure, inflammation, oxidative stress, and body weight. Methods: A systematic literature search was carried out using electronic databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, up to November 2022 to identify eligible Randomized Control Trials (RCTs) evaluating the effect of lycopene and tomato consumption on cardiovascular risk factors. Heterogeneity tests of the selected trials were performed using the I2 statistic. Random effects models were assessed based on the heterogeneity tests, and pooled data were determined as the weighted mean difference (WMD) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: Out of 27,438 records initially identified, a total of 34 studies met the eligibility criteria and were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed that lycopene consumption was associated with a significant reduction in malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, indicating a potential benefit in reducing oxidative stress. However, lycopene and tomato consumption did not have significant effects on other cardiovascular risk factors such as triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), fasting blood glucose (FBG), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), Intercellular Adhesion Molecule 1 (ICAM-1), c-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), body weight, and body mass index (BMI). Conclusion: Overall, the findings showed that lycopene and tomato consumption did not affect cardiovascular risk factors. However, lycopene supplementation may result in a significant improvement in MDA levels. With the view to confirming these results, further studies with long-term duration and different doses are needed.

Enrichment of tomato sauce and chopped tomatoes with tomato by-products increases antioxidant activity upon in vitro digestion

Article

Full-text available

Jun 2023
LWT-FOOD SCI TECHNOL

This study aimed to reutilize a by-product of the tomato-processing industry, tomato pomace. Two types of tomato sauce were developed incorporating tomato pomace by 50% (SWS) or 100% (WTS) and chopped to�matoes using WTS as filling sauce (WCT). The carotenoids, α-tocopherol, and polyphenols content in the products and bioaccessible fractions from in vitro digestion were assessed compared to a conventional sauce (TS) and chopped tomatoes (TCT). The total antioxidant capacity (TAC) before the digestion, in the bioaccessible fractions and the residue of digestion was measured. The innovative products showed a higher content of all carotenoids (mainly lycopene), α-tocopherol, and TAC vs conventional products. Polyphenols were more abundant only in the WCT than TCT. Compared to the conventional products, bioaccessibility of: carotenoids decreased by 48% from SWS and WS, whereas increased by 19% from WCT; α-tocopherol increased by 26% from SWS; total polyphenols decreased by 37% and 56% from SWS and WS, whereas increased by 19% from WCT. TAC of bioaccessible fractions and residues of digestion from innovative products increased by 1.3- to 4-folds. Reutilizing tomato pomace in tomato processing led to products with increased carotenoids, α-tocopherol, and TAC besides enhanced oxidative reducing potential along the gastro-intestinal tract until the colon.

Therapeutic effect of lycopene-rich tomato juice on cardiac disorder in rats fed on fried food in oxidized frying oil

Article

Jan 2004

THE EFFECT OF Lycopersicon esculentum (tomato) ON THE SMOOTH MUSCLE OF RABBIT JEJUNUM AND PROSTATE

Research

Full-text available

Jul 2013

Uchenna Agu

Due to the increasing cases of cancer worldwide and the current cost and difficulty of carrying out surgery, chemotherapy and Radiation therapy, Lycopersicon esculentum which is a rich source of lycopene, was studied in this work to ascertain its capacity to act as a cheap, reliable and readily available substance in the management of uncontrolled proliferation of cells.

Evaluation of Toxicity of Tropospheric Ozone on Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Cultivars: ROS Production, Defense Strategies and Intraspecific Sensitivity

Article

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Nov 2022
J PLANT GROWTH REGUL

Rapid industrialization, transportation and other human activities increase the formation of Ozone (O3) in the troposphere, causing an adverse effect on agricultural productivity. It is expected that concentration of O3 will increase along with the rise in global surface temperature. A field experiment was performed with differentially heat sensitive tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cultivars with an objective to understand the intraspecific variations in defense mechanism under elevated O3 treatment. The selected tomato cultivars were exposed to ambient and elevated O3 (ambient ± 20 ppb) in open top chambers. The results depicted that elevated O3 induced accumulation of reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde content leading to enhanced lipid peroxidation in all the tomato cultivars, but the scale of effects varied among cultivars. In response to oxidative stress generated due to ROS under elevated O3, activities of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants showed variable responses in differentially heat sensitive tomato cultivars. Heat tolerant cultivar, Superbug experienced highest oxidative stress under elevated O3, and significantly enhanced the non-enzymatic antioxidants leading to highest reduction in fruit biomass and total fresh fruit weight. However, heat tolerant cultivar, Kashi chayan and VRT 02 with lesser oxidative stress exhibited greater induction of enzymatic antioxidants and showed less reduction in fruit biomass and total fresh fruit weight. The heat sensitive cultivars, however, were less sensitive than Superbug. This study manifested that cultivar’s sensitivity under elevated O3 was governed by the variability of defense strategies, irrespective of their sensitivity towards heat. Kashi chayan and VRT 02 may be recommended in areas under elevated O3 to minimize the productivity losses.

Short-Term Tomato Consumption Alters the Pig Gut Microbiome toward a More Favorable Profile

Article

Full-text available

Nov 2022

The composition of the microorganisms in the gut is a contributor to overall health, prompting the development of strategies to alter the microbiome composition. Studies have investigated the role of the diet on the microbiome, as it is a major modifiable risk factor contributing to health; however, little is known about the causal effects of consumption of specific foods on the gut microbiota.

Stress induced production of plant secondary metabolites in vegetables: Functional approach for designing next generation super foods

Article

Oct 2022
PLANT PHYSIOL BIOCH

Plant secondary metabolites are vital for human health leading to the gain the access to natural products. The quality of crops is the result of the interaction of different biotic and abiotic factors. Abiotic stresses during plant growth may reduce the crop performance and quality of the produce. However, abiotic stresses can result in numerous physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses in plants, aiming to deal with these conditions. Abiotic stresses are also elicitors of the biosynthesis of plant secondary metabolites in plants which possess plant defense mechanisms as well as human health benefits such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidative properties etc. Plants either synthesize new compounds or alter the concentration of bioactive compounds. Due to increasing attention towards the production of bioactive compounds, the understanding of crop responses to abiotic stresses in relation to the biosynthesis of bioactive compounds is critical. Plants alter their metabolism at the genetic level in response to different abiotic stresses resulting the changes in secondary metabolite production. Transcriptional factors regulate genes responsible for secondary metabolite biosynthesis in several plants under stress conditions. Understanding the signaling pathways involved in the secondary metabolite biosynthesis has become easy with the use of molecular biology. Therefore, aim of writing the review is to focus on secondary metabolite production in vegetable crops, their health benefits and transcription regulation under various abiotic stresses.

Water-Soluble Tomato Concentrate, a Potential Antioxidant Supplement, Can Attenuate Platelet Apoptosis and Oxidative Stress in Healthy Middle-Aged and Elderly Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Crossover Clinical Trial

Article

Full-text available

Aug 2022

Increased oxidative stress and platelet apoptotic in middle-aged and elderly adults are important risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Therefore, it is of great significance to control the oxidative stress and platelet apoptosis in middle-aged and elderly adults. Previous acute clinical trials have shown that water-soluble tomato concentrate (WSTC) from fresh tomatoes could exert antiplatelet benefits after 3 h or 7 h, but its effects on platelet apoptosis and oxidative stress are still unknown, especially in healthy middle-aged and elderly adults. This current study aimed to examine the efficacies of WSTC on platelet apoptosis and oxidative stress in healthy middle-aged and elderly adults via a randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled crossover clinical trial (10 weeks in total). A total of 52 healthy middle-aged and elderly adults completed this trial. The results showed that WSTC could increase the serum total antioxidant capacity levels (p < 0.05) and decrease the serum malondialdehyde levels (p < 0.05) after a 4-week WSTC supplementation in healthy middle-aged and elderly adults. Platelet endogenous reactive oxygen species generation (p < 0.05), mitochondrial membrane potential dissipation (p < 0.05) and phosphatidylserine exposure (p < 0.05) were attenuated. In addition, our present study also found that WSTC could inhibit platelet aggregation and activation induced by collagen or ADP after intervention (p < 0.05), while having no effects on adverse events (p > 0.05). The results suggest that WSTC can inhibit oxidative stress and its related platelet apoptosis, which may provide a basis for the primary prevention of WSTC in ASCVD.

Lycopene-rich diets modulate HDL functionality and associated inflammatory markers without affecting lipoprotein size and distribution in moderately overweight, disease-free, middle-aged adults: A randomized controlled trial

Article

Full-text available

Aug 2022

Background The consumption of lycopene-rich foods may lower cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Lycopene circulates in the blood bound to lipoproteins, including high-density lipoproteins (HDLs). Preliminary data from our group showed that increased consumption of tomato-based food or lycopene supplement in middle-aged subjects led to functional changes to HDL's sub-fractions, HDL2 and HDL3. These changes were also associated with a decrease in serum amyloid A (SAA), potentially enhancing their anti-atherogenic properties. Objective We carried out a comprehensive randomized controlled intervention trial with healthy middle-aged volunteers to assess whether the consumption of tomato-based foods or lycopene supplements affects HDL functionality and associated inflammatory markers, and lipoprotein subfractions size and distribution. Design Volunteers (225, aged 40–65 years) were randomly assigned to one of three dietary intervention groups and asked to consume a control diet (low in tomato-based foods, <10 mg lycopene/week), a lycopene-rich diet (224–350 mg lycopene/week), or the control diet with a lycopene supplement (70 mg lycopene/week). HDL2 and HDL3 were isolated by ultracentrifugation. Compliance was monitored by assessing lycopene concentration in serum. Systemic and HDL-associated inflammation was assessed by measuring SAA concentrations. HDL functionality was determined by monitoring paraoxonase-1 (PON-1), cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP), and lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) activities. The lipoprotein subfractions profile was assessed by NMR. Results Lycopene in serum and HDL significantly increased following consumption of both the high tomato diet and lycopene supplement (p ≤ 0.001 for both). Lycopene, either as a tomato-rich food or a supplement, enhanced both serum- and HDL3-PON-1 activities (p ≤ 0.001 and p = 0.036, respectively), while significantly reducing HDL3-SAA-related inflammation (p = 0.001). Lycopene supplement also significantly increased HDL3-LCAT activity (p = 0.05), and reduced the activity of both HDL2- and HDL3-CETP (p = 0.005 and p = 0.002, respectively). These changes were not associated with changes in the subclasses distribution for all lipoprotein fractions or the size of lipoprotein subclasses. Conclusion Our results showed that dietary lycopene can significantly enhance HDL functionality, without associated changes in particle size and distribution, by modulating the activity of HDL-associated enzymes. Concomitantly, dietary lycopene significantly decreased serum- and HDL3-associated SAA, confirming that SAA may represent a sensitive inflammatory biomarker to dietary change. Clinical Trial Register (https://www.isrctn.com), ISRCTN34203810.

Tomato Comprehensive Quality Evaluation and Irrigation Mode Optimization with Biogas Slurry Based on the Combined Evaluation Model

Article

Full-text available

Jun 2022

Scientific and reasonable water and fertilizer regimes positively affected crop growth, yield, fruits quality and soil environment improvement. As a liquid quick-acting organic fertilizer to substitute chemical fertilizers, biogas slurry has been widely used in agricultural production. However, the lack of research on the proper comprehensive quality evaluation model and irrigation mode under biogas slurry limits the promotion and large-scale application of biogas slurry in agricultural production. In this study, three biogas slurry (BS) ratio (1:4BS, 1:6BS, 1:8BS; volume ratio of biogas slurry to water), three irrigation levels (W1, W2, W3) and three fertilizer control treatments (CF1, CF2, CF3) were conducted in field experiments. Eleven single indexes from four type qualities (external quality, taste quality, nutrition quality, storage and transportation quality) were adopted to establish the comprehensive evaluation index system of tomato. The principal component analysis, grey correlation analysis, membership function analysis and TOPSIS analysis model (based on the combination of objective entropy method and subjective analytic hierarchy process) were used to estimate the comprehensive quality of tomato fruits. Moreover, the objective combination evaluation mode based on overall diversity was used to evaluate the results obtained from the four independent comprehensive evaluation methods. The aim is to mitigate inconsistencies of multi-attribute evaluation models. The results showed that biogas slurry application was beneficial to the accumulation of aboveground biomass under the same irrigation amount, which can effectively improve the sugar to acid ratio and lycopene content of tomato. T3 (1:4BS, W3) and T1 (1:4BS, W1) obtained the highest yield and water use efficiency (WUE), respectively. The results of Kendall consistency test and Pearson correlation coefficients showed that there were good compatibility and high consistency among the four independent comprehensive evaluation models, and the combined quality evaluation model can be performed directly. As the correlation coefficients between combined evaluation model and each of four independent methods reached 0.965, the combined evaluation model was capable of reducing the differences of four independent comprehensive evaluation model. The combined quality evaluation results showed that T2 (1:4BS, W2) recommended strongly in this study could effectively improve the yield, quality and WUE of tomato.

Individual Effects of High Temperature and Tropospheric Ozone on Tomato: A Review

Article

Full-text available

May 2022
J PLANT GROWTH REGUL

Rising tropospheric ozone (O3) and temperature, the two most important stresses caused due to climate change. Both stresses have now become foremost concerns for production of tomato worldwide due to their role in immensely afflicting productivity. These stresses have been found to occur concomitantly, and tomato is very sensitive to both heat stress and elevated O3. This paper reviews the individual effects of high temperature and elevated O3 on the overall performance of tomato and the defense strategies responsible for varying sensitivities among the genotypes. High temperature influences photosynthesis directly, and Fv/Fm ratio was widely used in identifying the sensitivity of tomato cultivars. It also affects pollen viability and germination, which ultimately results in the decline of fruit set and yield. Phytohormones are crucial for reducing the negative impacts of high temperature on tomato. Besides, several heat-shock proteins and factors and stress-regulated genes were upregulated in tomato under heat stress. An increase in surface O3 level causes reductions in photosynthesis, biomass accumulation, pollen viability, fruit quality, and yield. Various molecular and physiological processes deployed during elevated O3 conditions are believed to be intervened by signaling molecules like ethylene and jasmonic acid. The review concludes that responses of tomato to both the stresses are somewhat similar, but their nature and effects may vary with intensity and duration of stresses, genotypes, and other environmental factors. Since these stresses occur simultaneously, their combined effects need to be understood to avoid the yield losses under future scenarios of climate change.

Cardiovascular Disease and Possible Ways in Which Lycopene Acts as an Efficient Cardio-Protectant against Different Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Article

Full-text available

May 2022
MOLECULES

Foods rich in antioxidants such as lycopene have a major role in maintaining cardiac health. Lycopene, 80% of which can be obtained by consuming a common vegetable such as tomato, can prevent the disturbances that contribute to cardiovascular disease (CVD). The present work begins with a brief introduction to CVD and lycopene and its various properties such as bioavailability, pharmacokinetics, etc. In this review, the potential cardio-protective effects of lycopene that reduce the progression of CVD and thrombotic complications are detailed. Further, the protective effects of lycopene including in vitro, in vivo and clinical trials conducted on lycopene for CVD protective effects are explained. Finally, the controversial aspect of lycopene as a protective agent against CVD and toxicity are also mentioned.

Potential of Carotenoids from Fresh Tomatoes and Their Availability in Processed Tomato-Based Products

Chapter

Full-text available

Apr 2022

The high consumption of tomatoes worldwide has made them an essential source of health-promoting carotenoids that prevent a variety of chronic degenerative diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. Tomatoes are available year-round, consumed fresh, and used as a raw material for the production of many processed products, such as juices, pastes, and purees. A plethora of carotenoids has been characterized in tomatoes. Most of the relevant carotenoids in the human bloodstream are supplied by fresh and processed tomatoes. Lycopene is the predominant carotenoid in tomato and tomato-based food products. Other carotenoids such as α-, β-, γ- and ξ-carotene, phytoene, phytofluene, neurosporene, and lutein are present in tomatoes and related products. There is a growing body of evidence that these bioactive compounds possess beneficial properties, namely anticarcinogenic, cardioprotective, and hepatoprotective effects among other health benefits, due to their antioxidant, anti-mutagenic, anti-proliferative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-atherogenic properties. This chapter analyzes the carotenoid composition of tomatoes and their based products as major contributors to the chronic disease-preventive properties.

Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) Phenotypes: From Agroindustry to Health Effects

Article

Full-text available

Apr 2022

Sweet potato (SP; Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) is an edible tuber native to America and the sixth most important food crop worldwide. China leads its production in a global market of USD 45 trillion. SP domesticated varieties differ in specific phenotypic/genotypic traits, yet all of them are rich in sugars, slow digestible/resistant starch, vitamins, minerals, bioactive proteins and lipids, carotenoids, polyphenols, ascorbic acid, alkaloids, coumarins, and saponins, in a genotype-dependent manner. Individually or synergistically, SP’s phytochemicals help to prevent many illnesses, including certain types of cancers and cardiovascular disorders. These and other topics, including the production and market diversification of raw SP and its products, and SP’s starch as a functional ingredient, are briefly discussed in this review.

Producing Cherry Tomatoes in Urban Agriculture

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2022

Agriculture in urban and urbanizing areas will be increasingly critical to enhancing food security and food sovereignty, creating income, strengthening social interactions, and improving health outcomes in cities. We used three roofs, a hydroponic system, an aquaponic system, and field rows in an urban environment to grow six dwarf tomato cultivars: ‘Micro Tom’, ‘Red Robin’, ‘Sweet ‘n’ Neat’, ‘Terenzo’, ‘Tiny Tim’, and ‘Tumbler.’ We measured the marketable yield and non-marketable yield, mass of non-marketable tomatoes exhibiting defects, and the content of 12 mineral nutrients in fruits. We found the productivity often varied among cultivars within a cropping system. ‘Terenzo’ and ‘Tumbler’ were always some of the most productive cultivars, whereas ‘Micro Tom’ was normally among the least productive cultivars. The production from ‘Red Robin’, ‘Tiny Tim’, and ‘Sweat ‘n’ Neat’ was more variable, sometimes producing high, moderate, or low mass. The mineral content was especially variable across the cultivars and we did not identify cultivars that were consistently high or low in mineral content across systems, indicating that the mineral content was highly influenced by a genotype x environment interaction. The amount of 5 minerals differed across cultivars in aquaponics, 9 differed in hydroponics, and 6–12 differed in the roof systems. A high-yielding cultivar should be selected first and production methods can then be modified to maximize the nutrient content.

Horticultural Crops: Potential for Developing Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals

Chapter

Feb 2025

All over the world, changes in eating habits and lifestyle can lead to complications affecting human health. By including foods that provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition play significant role in minimizing the risk of certain diseases, enhancing immunocompetence, and improving overall health and well-being. Functional foods and nutraceuticals are foods that have positive physiological effects on the human body. It includes different kinds of products such as dietary supplements, functional beverages, herbal extracts/proteins/minerals/vitamin supplemented products, and other processed products. Horticultural crops including vegetables, fruits, nuts, and spices are reported to be good source of bioactive phytochemicals make them as functional foods and source of nutraceuticals. They are found to be loaded with bioactive phytochemicals such as carotenoids, anthocyanins, phenolic acids, terpenoids, flavonoids, vitamins, minerals, and polyunsaturated fatty acids, with proven health benefits. This chapter discusses benefits of phytochemicals present in the horticultural crops beneficial for healthy life.

Machine learning models based on hyperspectral imaging for pre-harvest tomato fruit quality monitoring

Article

Feb 2025
COMPUT ELECTRON AGR

Harnessing Marine-Derived Compounds for Cardiovascular Health: Sea to Heart

Chapter

Aug 2024

Cardiovascular diseases [CVD] is one of the main cause of death and disability that can be prevented by leading a healthy lifestyle. Bioactive compounds from natural marine sources have gained a lot of interest. Marine sources serve as reservoirs for new bioactive metabolites with various pharmacological activities. Innumerable products derived from marine sources have been widely used across the globe by traditional practitioners for thousands of years. Marine pharmacology has been reviewed extensively in the past all over the world as well as India, but still there is a need to review the potential of the oceans as sources for the development of new drugs, considering the advantage of their abundance in natural and large scale production. The marine derived compounds such as Omega 3 acid ethyl ester, Xyloketal B, Asperlin, Saringosterol, chitooligosaccarides, Phlorotannins, Alginate oligosaccharides, Astaxanthin, Fucoxanthin, Zeaxanthin, Alginate, Carrageenan, Fuciodan, Phloroglucinol, Arachidonic acid, Lycopene, Saponins, Deep sea water, Terpenes, Sponge extract, Ulvan, Chitosan showed promosing results in several CVD's. Marine molecules show unique structural features and exhibit various types of biological activities. Marine natural drugs depict a high safety profile, wide range of biological activities and natural origin. They are novel over synthetic drugs for the minimization of adverse effects in CVD's and associated complications. They are preferable to other products due to their low toxicity, chemical variety, economic effectiveness and demonstrated therapeutic promise.

Microbiota-derived succinic acid mediates attenuating effect of dietary tomato juice supplementation on steatohepatitis through enhancing intestinal barrier

Article

Sep 2024
FOOD RES INT

Composite biofilm chitosan-microcrystalline cellulose for tomato preservation

Article

Full-text available

Feb 2024

The demand for packaging has caused a surge in non-biodegradable plastic waste. To tackle this issue, biofilms provide a safe and effective alternative for packaging and preservation. This research focused on combining chitosan and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) to produce composite biofilms to preserve fresh fruits. The study involved adding varying quantities of MCC, ranging from 0g to 11g, to chitosan using a glycerol plasticizer. The results showed that adding MCC reduced the adhesion of the chitosan-based film, resulting in a more intact film. The surface morphology of the film showed uniform dispersion of MCC particles. The water adsorption and solubility of the MCC-added films increased while biodegradability decreased. The best biofilm for preservation application was the chitosan film supplemented with 3g of MCC. This film helped limit weight loss, vitamin C content, total acid content, and soluble solids loss in tomatoes during storage. Essentially, the chitosan-MCC film helped to reduce water evaporation, respiration, metabolism with the external environment, and penetration of microorganisms on tomatoes, thus extending their shelf life.

Phytochemicals in regulating PD‐1/PD‐L1 and immune checkpoint blockade therapy

Article

Full-text available

Dec 2023
PHYTOTHER RES

Clinical treatment and preclinical studies have highlighted the role of immune checkpoint blockade in cancer treatment. Research has been devoted to developing immune checkpoint inhibitors in combination with other drugs to achieve better efficacy or reduce adverse effects. Phytochemicals sourced from vegetables and fruits have demonstrated antiproliferative, proapoptotic, anti‐migratory, and antiangiogenic effects against several cancers. Phytochemicals also modulate the tumor microenvironment such as T cells, regulatory T cells, and cytokines. Recently, several phytochemicals have been reported to modulate immune checkpoint proteins in in vivo or in vitro models. Phytochemicals decreased programmed cell death ligand‐1 expression and synergized programmed cell death receptor 1 (PD‐1) monoclonal antibody to suppress tumor growth. Combined administration of phytochemicals and PD‐1 monoclonal antibody enhanced the tumor growth inhibition as well as CD4⁺/CD8⁺ T‐cell infiltration. In this review, we discuss immune checkpoint molecules as potential therapeutic targets of cancers. We further assess the impact of phytochemicals including carotenoids, polyphenols, saponins, and organosulfur compounds on cancer PD‐1/programmed cell death ligand‐1 immune checkpoint molecules and document their combination effects with immune checkpoint inhibitors on various malignancies.

Effect of lycopene supplementation on lipid profile, blood glucose and electrolyte homeostasis in thioacetamide induced liver cirrhosis

Article

Full-text available

Jul 2023

Lycopene is a fat-soluble carotenoid pigment that gives tomatoes their red color and capacity for scavenging free radicals. The current study was designed to evaluate the effect of lycopenesupplementation on blood glucose, lipid profile and electrolyte homeostasis in thioacetamide induced liver cirrhosis. Experimental period was consisted of 12 weeks, divided into two phases (each of six weeks). For this purpose 24 male albino wistar rats were randomly distributed into four groups (n=6). Group I served as control, Group II received thioacetamide (200mg/kg b.w, i.p, twice a week) in the first phase and then saline in the second phase. Group III received thioacetamidein the first phase and lycopene in the second phase. Group IV received saline in the first phase and lycopene in the second phase. Thioacetamide toxicity was evidenced by decrease in body weight, plasma glucose and HDL level, plasma and intra-erythrocyte sodium and potassium and increase in liver weight, plasma total cholesterol, triglyceride and LDL level. While lycopene administration resulted in increased body weight, HDL level, plasma and intra-erythrocyte sodium and potassium and decreased liver weight, plasma cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL and plasma glucose level. Thus, confirms the protective role of lycopene in thioacetamide induced liver cirrhosis.

Lycopene as Nutraceuticals

Chapter

May 2022

The bioactive red-colored carotenoid grabs attention due to its antioxidant properties, though it has no provitamin A activity. It has the highest singlet oxygen quenching ability among all carotenoids. Lycopene is responsible for the red to pink colors observed in many fruits and vegetables. The unique structure of lycopene for its ruby red color enhances its usage as a natural food colorant. Several promising data from in vivo and in vitro studies suggest that lycopene intake is inversely associated with chronic diseases like cancers, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and many more. Lycopene in fresh fruits and vegetables is found in all-trans configuration. Due to isomerization and oxidation, the degradation (trans to cis) of lycopene takes place. The absorption of cis-isomers in food is higher than all trans-isomers. The food-processing technique improves lycopene absorption or bioavailability by loosening the bonds between lycopene and tissue matrix and induces cis-isomerization. The health properties of lycopene encourage itself to develop as enriched food with functional properties. Various eco-friendly lycopene extraction techniques with a slight loss of bioactivities are highly acceptable in the food and pharmaceutical industries. More advanced research works on absorption, biochemistry, and various physiological pathways to expose the mechanism of lycopene extraction and fortification, which can further improve various existing operations. This review paper summarizes various ongoing researches on lycopene fortification and extraction methods and their chemopreventive roles.

Fitoquímicos bioativos: não nutrientes

Chapter

Jan 2020

Valdemiro Carlos Sgarbieri

Este livro tem por objetivo descrever os avanços ocorridos nas áreas de tecnologia de alimentos e de nutrição humana durante o século XX até os dias de hoje. Novos paradigmas e conceitos foram estabelecidos a partir da segunda metade do século passado, particularmente em nutrição humana, com descobertas nos alimentos de compostos bioativos, até então considerados “não nutrientes”. O primeiro capítulo é uma descrição histórica dos principais avanços ocorridos e da importância das descobertas no período supracitado. Nos capítulos seguintes, é descrito e conceituado o que se convencionou chamar de compostos bioativos e nutrição funcional. Os últimos capítulos tratam de inovações em pesquisas, nas quais os conceitos de dieta funcional, nutrigenômica e nutrição personalizada são introduzidos. Esses conceitos poderão conduzir o leitor à seguinte indagação: Dieta ideal é um desafio atingível ou uma utopia? Para os pesquisadores parece ser mais um desafio inatingível, por se tratar de alcançar uma fronteira que se move constantemente pela pressão evolutiva.

Lycopene prevents Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate-induced mitophagy and oxidative stress in mice heart via modulating mitochondrial homeostasis

Article

Feb 2023
J NUTR BIOCHEM

Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is a plasticizer that iseasily found in the environment. Excessive daily exposure of it may lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Lycopene (LYC), as a natural carotenoid, has been shown to have the potential to prevent CVD. However, the mechanism of LYC on cardiotoxicity caused by DEHP exposure is unknown. The research was aimed to investigate the chemoprotection of LYC on the cardiotoxicity caused by DEHP exposure. Mice were treated with DEHP (500 mg/kg or 1000 mg/kg) and/or LYC (5 mg/kg) for 28 days by intragastric administration, and the heart was subjected to histopathology and biochemistry analysis. The results indicated that DEHP caused cardiac histological alterations and enhanced the activity of cardiac injury indicators, and interfered with mitochondrial function and activating mitophagy. Notably, LYC supplementation could inhibit DEHP-induced oxidative stress. The mitochondrial dysfunction and emotional disorder caused by DEHP exposure were significantly improved through the protective effect of LYC. We concluded that LYC enhances mitochondrial function by regulating mitochondrial biogenesis and dynamics to antagonize DEHP-induced cardiac mitophagy and oxidative stress.

EFFECTS OF TOMATO CONSUMPTION ON HUMAN HEALTH

Conference Paper

Full-text available

Dec 2022

Tomato is one of the most cultivated vegetables in the world, and it is loved and consumed by many nations. The nutritional composition of tomatoes includes carbohydrates (3%), protein (1.2%), total lipids (1%), minerals [calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sodium (Na), zinc) (Zn), manganese (Mn) et al.], vitamins (vitamins A and C, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and pyridoxine). Vitamins are involved in various functions such as maintaining nervous system health, producing red blood cells, and enzymatic functions. Minerals are naturally occurring, inorganic, solid substances. They are necessary for a variety of bodily functions, including regulation of metabolic pathways, formation of vital organs, maintenance of physiological functions, regulation of pH balance, fluid balance, blood pressure, nerve conduction, muscle contraction, and energy production. This fruit contains significant levels of antioxidants and bioactive compounds such as β-carotene, ascorbic acid, lycopene, tocopherol, phenolic acids, flavonoids, anthocyanins. In general, antioxidant compounds play important roles in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, neurological diseases by minimizing the oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species. Phenolic compounds and carotenoids are the main biologically active compounds found in ripe tomatoes. Indeed, the red color of a ripe tomato fruit is due to the fact that it contains a significant amount of lycopene. On the other hand, alkaloids are toxic compounds found in tomatoes and their structure is similar to nicotine. Most alkaloids are crystalline compounds and can be found freely in plants. Tomatine, a mildly toxic glycoalkaloid or steroidal alkaloid, is found in the stem, leaves and immature (green) fruits (up to 500 mg/kg) of the tomato plant. Tomatine toxicity has also been reported in tomato leaves consumed as tea. As a result of experimental animal studies, the main symptoms that characterize the acute toxicity of tomatine include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, lethargy, confusion, malaise, and depression, similar to the symptoms of solanine poisoning. In addition, consumption of raw tomatoes can cause quite severe anaphylaxis, especially in children and allergy-prone people. In this review, the effects of tomato consumption on human health were tried to be examined.

A importância metabólica de compostos bioativos não nutrientes

Chapter

Jan 2021

O livro enfatiza fatores que regem a vida humana do início ao fim e que podem ser muito diferentes entre indivíduos e populações: 1) caracteres genéticos herdados diretamente de nossos pais e indiretamente de nossos ancestrais, os quais permanecem relativamente estáveis ao longo da vida; 2) fatores ambientais (alimentação, condição e estilo de vida) até certo ponto controláveis, sendo a alimentação o mais importante. A primeira parte do livro trata da definição e da conceituação do processo de envelhecimento e seus efeitos na saúde. Seguem-se a apresentação e a discussão de mecanismos que promovem degradação molecular e celular responsáveis por distúrbios metabólicos que podem resultar em doenças crônico-degenerativas. A maior parte do texto é dedicada à apresentação de alimentos e compostos bioativos que agem combatendo o envelhecimento precoce e retardando doenças da idade. Por fim, faz-se uma discussão sobre conceitos de dietas saudáveis com sugestões para pesquisas, visando melhorar o perfil alimentar do brasileiro.

Online Soluble Solids Content (SSC) Assessment of Multi-variety Tomatoes using Vis/NIRS Diffuse Transmission

Article

Aug 2022
INFRARED PHYS TECHN

This study investigates the potential of the online diffuse transmission Vis/NIRS technology for quantitative soluble solids content (SSC) assessment of multi-variety tomatoes. For every single-variety tomato, the stem-calyx axis horizontal with stem towards (T1 orientation) is verified to be the best detection orientation with the simpler propagation light path or shorter light path distance. Compared to the full wavelength after Savitzky-Golay smoothing (SGS) pretreatment, the partial least squares regression (PLSR) model performance can be further improved by the selected Competitive Adaptive Reweighted Sampling (CARS) key wavelengths. The best CARS-PLSR model performances are Tianci-595 (Rp=0.85, RMSEp=0.21), Xianke-No.8 (Rp=0.87, RMSEp=0.20), and Yuanwei-No.1 (Rp=0.87, RMSEp=0.35), respectively. For multi-variety tomatoes, it is difficult to find a universal SSC prediction method regardless of mutual prediction between different models or mixed models of different tomato varieties. Our results in the present study reveal the potential for online diffuse transmission Vis/NIRS technology as a valuable method for tomato SSC assessment. The potential of key wavelengths in multi-variety tomatoes' universal SSC prediction requires further experimental verification and optimization.

Effect of Tomato Extract on the Stress Resistance and Lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans

Article

Jun 2022

Antioxidants and anti-stress mechanisms have been intensely studied in recent years due to their role in degenerative disease development and aging. Dietary interventions that promote anti-stress mechanisms could also increase health and lifespan. To test whether a lipophilic native tomato extract with high antioxidant activity extends health and lifespan, we treated the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and found that tomato extract increases resistance to oxidative and thermal stress, and extended lifespan in wild type. These effects were lost in mutants of the insulin/insulin-like signalling pathway indicating that tomato extract acts by this pathway. In addition, beneficial effects on oxidative and thermal stress resistance were dependent on stress-related transcription factors, but independent of caloric restriction. These results suggest that the antioxidant activity of the tomato extract was, at least in part, mediated by insulin/insulin-like signalling pathway and transcription factors.

Tomato Comprehensive Quality Evaluation and Irrigation Mode Optimization with Biogas Slurry Based on the Combined Evaluation Model

Article

Jan 2022

Sources and Health Benefits of Functional Food Components

Chapter

Full-text available

Apr 2022

Saijuddin Shaikh

Functional foods are the foods claimed that have additional health benefits beyond their basic nutritional values, and functional food components are bioactive, potentially beneficial compounds that are found either naturally in foods or added to them as functional ingredients. Some important functional food components are carotenoids, isothiocyanates, soluble and insoluble dietary fiber, phenolic acids, fatty acids, plant stanols and sterols, flavonoids, polyols, soy protein, prebiotics and probiotics, phytoestrogens, vitamins, and minerals. Most of the functional food components occur mainly in plant foods (whole grains, fruits, and vegetables), however, few functional foods components, such as omega-3, -6, and -9 polyunsaturated fatty acids are also found in animal products (e.g. milk, fermented milk products, and cold-water fish). Evidence suggested that there is a relationship between functional food components and health benefits. Functional food components can be used for the treatment and prevention of different diseases. Biologically active functional food components can reduce the risk of certain non-communicable diseases, such as cancer, type II diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, inflammation, and lowering of blood cholesterol. Thus, people should consume a wide variety of foods to assure the ingestion of functional food components in their body, such as fatty acids, fiber, carotenoids, flavonoids, prebiotics and probiotics, vitamins, and mineral.

Antioxidant State and Mortality from Coronary Heart Disease in Lithuanian and Swedish Men: Concomitant Cross Sectional Study of Men Aged 50

Article

Full-text available

Mar 1997

To investigate possible risk factors and mechanisms behind the four times higher and diverging mortality from coronary heart disease in Lithuanian compared with Swedish middle aged men. Concomitant cross sectional comparison of randomly selected 50 year old men without serious acute or chronic disease. Methods and equipment were identical or highly standardised between the centres. Linköping (Sweden) and Vilnius (Lithuania). 101 and 109 men aged 50 in Linköping and Vilnius respectively. Anthropometric data, blood pressure, smoking, plasma lipid and lipoprotein concentrations, susceptibility of low density lipoprotein to oxidation, and plasma concentrations of fat soluble antioxidant vitamins. Systolic blood pressure was higher (141 v 133 mm Hg, P < 0.01), smoking habits were similar, and plasma total cholesterol (5.10 v 5.49 mmol/l, P < 0.01) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (3.30 v 3.68 mmol/l, P < 0.01) lower in men from Vilnius compared with those from Linköping. Triglyceride, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, and Lp(a) lipoprotein concentrations did not differ between the two groups. The resistance of low density lipoprotein to oxidation was lower in the men from Vilnius; lag phase was 67.6 v 79.5 minutes (P < 0.001). Also lower in the men from Vilnius were mean plasma concentrations of lipid soluble antioxidant vitamins (beta carotene 377 v 510 nmol/l, P < 0.01; lycopene 327 v 615 nmol/l, P < 0.001; and lipid adjusted gamma tocopherol 0.25 v 0.46 mumol/mmol, P < 0.001. alpha Tocopherol concentration did not differ). Regression analysis showed that the lag phase was still significantly shorter by 10 minutes in men from Vilnius when the influence of other known factors was taken into account. The high mortality from coronary heart disease in Lithuania is not caused by traditional risk factors alone. Mechanisms related to antioxidant state may be important.

Lycopene and myocardial infarction risk in the EURAMIC Study

Article

Full-text available

Nov 1997
AM J EPIDEMIOL

A multicenter case-control study was conducted to evaluate the relations between antioxidant status assessed by biomarkers and acute myocardial infarction. Incidence cases and frequency matched controls were recruited from 10 European countries to maximize the variance in exposure within the study. Adipose tissue needle aspiration biopsies were taken shortly after the infarction and analyzed for levels of carotenoids and tocopherols. An examination of colinearity including all covariates and the three carotenoids, α-carotene, β-carotene, and lycopene, showed that the variables were sufficiently independent to model simultaneously. When examined singularly, each of the carotenoids appeared to be protective. Upon simultaneous analyses of the carotenoids, however, using conditional logistic regression models that controlled for age, body mass index, socioeconomic status, smoking, hypertension, and maternal and paternal history of disease, lycopene remained independently protective, with an odds ratio of 0.52 for the contrast of the 10th and 90th percentiles (95% confidence interval 0.33–0.82, p = 0.005). The associations for α- and β-carotene were largely eliminated. We conclude that lycopene, or some substance highly correlated which is in a common food source, may contribute to the protective effect of vegetable consumption on myocardial infarction risk.

Reproducibility and Validity of an Expanded Self-Administered Semiquantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire among Male Health Professionals

Article

Full-text available

Jun 1992
AM J EPIDEMIOL

The authors assessed the reproducibility and validity of an expanded 131-item semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire used in a prospective study among 51,529 men. The form was administered by mail twice to a sample of 127 participants at a one-year interval. During this interval, men completed two one-week diet records spaced approximately 6 months apart. Mean values for intake of most nutrients assessed by the two methods were similar. Intraclass correlation coefficients for nutrient intakes assessed by questionnaires one year apart ranged from 0.47 for vitamin E without supplements to 0.80 for vitamin C with supplements. Correlation coefficients between the energy-adjusted nutrient intakes measured by diet records and the second questionnaire (which asked about diet during the year encompassing the diet records) ranged from 0.28 for iron without supplements to 0.86 for vitamin C with supplements (mean r = 0.59). These correlations were higher after adjusting for week-to-week variation in diet record intakes (mean r = 0.65). These data indicate that the expanded semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire is reproducible and provides a useful measure of intake for many nutrients over a one-year period.

Relations between Antioxidant Vitamins in Adipose Tissue, Plasma, and Diet

Article

Full-text available

Mar 1995
AM J EPIDEMIOL

For an evaluation of fat-soluble vitamin concentrations in adipose tissue as biomarkers of intake, estimates of usual intake of beta-carotene, total vitamin A, and vitamin E (assessed by food frequency questionnaire) were compared with plasma and adipose tissue concentrations of beta-carotene, retinol, and alpha-tocopherol, respectively. Data were collected in 1992 in the Netherlands for 85 healthy, nonsmoking volunteers aged 50-70 years (38 males and 47 females). For alpha-tocopherol, a significant age- and sex-adjusted partial correlation (r = 0.24, p < 0.05) was observed between adipose tissue levels and intake. For beta-carotene, the partial r was 0.20. Adipose tissue retinol did not reflect intake (partial r = 0.08). Correlations of adipose tissue vitamin levels with plasma vitamin levels were higher overall (r = 0.34 for alpha-tocopherol, r = 0.56 for beta-carotene, and r = 0.17 for retinol) than correlations with intake. Plasma concentrations of alpha-tocopherol, beta-carotene, and retinol were not associated with dietary intake (partial r's were 0.05, 0.17, and -0.12, respectively). Pearson correlations of repeated measurements in adipose tissue (after 4 months) were 0.24 for retinol, 0.50 for beta-carotene, and 0.78 for alpha-tocopherol. Adipose tissue beta-carotene was shown to increase sixfold after 6 months' supplementation with 30 mg of beta-carotene daily. It is concluded that adipose tissue vitamin concentrations are an acceptable alternative to plasma levels as relatively stable indicators of dietary intake. However, both plasma and adipose tissue levels are more useful as markers of internal dose, taking into account variations in absorption and metabolism, than of dietary intake.

Association of Serum Vitamin Levels, LDL Susceptibility to Oxidation, and Autoantibodies Against MDA-LDL With Carotid Atherosclerosis A Case-Control Study

Article

Full-text available

Jul 1997

Oxidative modification of LDL is believed to be a crucial step in atherosclerosis. Thus, antioxidant vitamins may have a role in the prevention of coronary disease. We examined the cross-sectional association of serum vitamin levels, the susceptibility of LDL to hemin-induced oxidation (lag phase to conjugated diene formation), and the malondialdehyde-LDL (MDA-LDL) to native LDL radioactivity binding ratio with carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), a measure of asymptomatic early atherosclerosis. The participants in this observational study were 231 asymptomatic age-, sex-, race-, and field center-matched case-control pairs selected from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study cohort on the basis of B-mode carotid artery ultrasonograms obtained from 1986 through 1989. Cases exceeded the 90th percentile of IMT, and control subjects were below the 75th percentile of IMT for all arterial segments. Biochemical analyses were performed on fasting frozen (-70 degrees C) serum specimens collected from 1990 through 1992. In conditional logistic regression adjusting for age, blood storage time, total cholesterol, and log-triglyceride concentrations, serum beta-cryptoxanthin and lutein plus zeaxanthin levels were inversely related to the extent of atherosclerosis (odds ratio [OR] per 1-SD increase: 0.75, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.59-0.94; and OR per 1-SD increase: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.59-0.95, respectively). Increases in alpha-carotene and lycopene were associated with nonsignificantly lower odds of being a case, whereas beta-carotene, retinol, and alpha-tocopherol were unrelated to IMT. Although not reaching statistical significance, the lag phase and autoantibodies against MDA-LDL were positively associated with asymptomatic atherosclerosis. After adjustment for potential confounders, only the inverse association of lutein plus zeaxanthin with asymptomatic atherosclerosis was maintained. This study supports a modest inverse association between circulating levels of some carotenoids, particularly lutein plus zeaxanthin, and carotid IMT. These findings suggest that these carotenoid compounds (regarded as biomarkers of fruit and vegetable intake) may be important in early stages of atherosclerosis.

Lycopene is more bioavailable from tomato paste than fresh tomatoes

Article

Full-text available

Jul 1997

Lycopene bioavailability from a single dose of fresh tomatoes or tomato paste (23 mg lycopene) ingested together with 15 g corn oil was compared by analyzing carotenoid concentrations in the chylomicron fraction. The lycopene isomer pattern was the same in both fresh tomatoes and tomato paste. The triacylglycerol response in chylomicrons was not significantly different after both treatments. Ingestion of tomato paste was found to yield 2.5-fold higher total and all-trans-lycopene peak concentrations (P < 0.05 and P < 0.005, respectively) and 3.8-fold higher area under the curve (AUC) responses (P < 0.001) than ingestion of fresh tomatoes. The same was calculated for lycopene cis-isomers, but only the AUC response for the cis-isomers was significantly higher after ingestion of tomato paste (P < 0.005). No difference was observed in the alpha- and beta-carotene response. Thus, in humans, the bioavailability of lycopene is greater from tomato paste than from fresh tomatoes.

Differences between plasma and adipose tissue biomarkers of carotenoids and tocopherols

Article

Full-text available

Dec 1998

Biomarkers of dietary exposure or nutritional status are sought actively to overcome limitations of traditional dietary methodology. We compared plasma and adipose tissue biomarkers for carotenoids and tocopherols. The data consisted of samples from 91 men and 122 women, ages 45-70 years, from the control group of the European Community Multicentre Study on Antioxidants, Myocardial Infarction, and Cancer of the Breast (EURAMIC) Study. Pearson correlations between plasma and adipose tissue measurements for beta-carotene, lycopene, and alpha-tocopherol adjusted for smoking status displayed low, although significant, correlations of 0.39, 0.24, and 0.39, respectively. The correlation was further stratified by sex. After being corrected for measurement error using deattenuation factors obtained from a reproducibility study, the stratified correlation coefficients were as high as 0.80 for beta-carotene in men, 0.62 for lycopene in women, and 0.52 for alpha-tocopherol in women. In addition, plasma and adipose tissue measurements from the myocardial infarction (MI) subset of the EURAMIC study population were used to evaluate the odds of MI, adjusting for confounders. We found that the concentration of lycopene in plasma was not positively associated significantly with MI (odds ratio, 1.78; P = 0.26). Adipose tissue lycopene, in contrast to reports elsewhere on the total population, showed an inverse association with MI (odds ratio, 0.62; P = 0.15). These results suggest that plasma and adipose carotenoids represent different markers for nutritional status and cannot be used interchangeably in epidemiological and dietary validation studies.

Vitamin E supplementation and cardiovascular events in high-risk patients. The Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation Study Investigators

Article

Full-text available

Feb 2000

Observational and experimental studies suggest that the amount of vitamin E ingested in food and in supplements is associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis. We enrolled a total of 2545 women and 6996 men 55 years of age or older who were at high risk for cardiovascular events because they had cardiovascular disease or diabetes in addition to one other risk factor. These patients were randomly assigned according to a two-by-two factorial design to receive either 400 IU of vitamin E daily from natural sources or matching placebo and either an angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitor (ramipril) or matching placebo for a mean of 4.5 years (the results of the comparison of ramipril and placebo are reported in a companion article). The primary outcome was a composite of myocardial infarction, stroke, and death from cardiovascular causes. The secondary outcomes included unstable angina, congestive heart failure, revascularization or amputation, death from any cause, complications of diabetes, and cancer. A total of 772 of the 4761 patients assigned to vitamin E (16.2 percent) and 739 of the 4780 assigned to placebo (15.5 percent) had a primary outcome event (relative risk, 1.05; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.95 to 1.16; P=0.33). There were no significant differences in the numbers of deaths from cardiovascular causes (342 of those assigned to vitamin E vs. 328 of those assigned to placebo; relative risk, 1.05; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.90 to 1.22), myocardial infarction (532 vs. 524; relative risk, 1.02; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.90 to 1.15), or stroke (209 vs. 180; relative risk, 1.17; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.95 to 1.42). There were also no significant differences in the incidence of secondary cardiovascular outcomes or in death from any cause. There were no significant adverse effects of vitamin E. In patients at high risk for cardiovascular events, treatment with vitamin E for a mean of 4.5 years had no apparent effect on cardiovascular outcomes.

Lycopene and cardiovascular disease

Article

Full-text available

Jul 2000

Considerable evidence suggests that lycopene, a carotenoid without provitamin A activity found in high concentrations in a small set of plant foods, has significant antioxidant potential in vitro and may play a role in preventing prostate cancer and cardiovascular disease in humans. Tomato products, including ketchup, tomato juice, and pizza sauce, are the richest sources of lycopene in the US diet, accounting for >80% of the total lycopene intake of Americans. Unlike other carotenoids, lycopene is not consistently lower among smokers than among nonsmokers, suggesting that any possible preventive activity is not as an antioxidant. Instead, lycopene may have a cholesterol synthesis-inhibiting effect and may enhance LDL degradation. Available evidence suggests that intimal wall thickness and risk of myocardial infarction are reduced in persons with higher adipose tissue concentrations of lycopene. The question of whether lycopene helps to prevent cardiovascular disease can only be answered by a trial specifically evaluating its effectiveness in this area.

Low serum lycopene concentration is associated with an excess incidence of acute coronary events and stroke: The Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study

Article

Full-text available

Jun 2001

A number of epidemiological studies have shown an association between beta-carotene and the risk of cardiovascular diseases, whereas only a few studies are available concerning the association of lycopene with the risk of coronary events, and no studies have been undertaken concerning lycopene and stroke. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that low serum levels of lycopene are associated with increased risk of acute coronary events and stroke in middle-aged men previously free of CHD and stroke. The subjects were 725 men aged 46-64 years examined in 1991-3 in the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study. Forty-one men had either a fatal or a non-fatal acute coronary event or a stroke by December 1997. In a Cox' proportional hazard's model adjusting for examination years, age, systolic blood pressure and three nutritional factors (serum folate, beta-carotene and plasma vitamin C), men in the lowest quarter of serum lycopene levels (< or =0.07 micromol/l) had a 3.3-fold (95 % CI 1.7, 6.4, risk of acute coronary events or stroke compared with the others. Our study suggests that a low serum level of lycopene is associated with an increased risk of atherosclerotic vascular events in middle-aged men previously free of CHD and stroke.

No Significant Effects of Lutein, Lycopene or β-Carotene Supplementation on Biological Markers of Oxidative Stress and LDL Oxidizability in Healthy Adult Subjects

Article

Full-text available

Jul 2001

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of individual carotenoid supplementation on biochemical indices of oxidative status in apparently healthy adult males. The study was a placebo controlled single blind study. Healthy male volunteers (n= 175) were assigned to four groups. They received daily supplements of beta-carotene (15 mg), lutein (15 mg), lycopene (15 mg) and placebo for three months. The effects of the supplementation on antioxidant status were monitored by plasma carotenoid, vitamin C and A levels, glutathione (GSH and GSSG) concentrations, protein SH groups. erythrocyte antioxidant enzyme activities (Cu-Zn SOD, Se-GSH-Px) and susceptibility of LDL to copper-induced oxidation. beta-carotene, lycopene and lutein supplementation led to significant plasma and LDL increases in each of these carotenoids, without modifications of other carotenoid levels in plasma or in LDL. The supplementation failed to enhance the resistance of LDL to oxidation or to modify the LDL polyunsaturated/ saturated fatty acid ratio. Vitamin C, GSH, protein SH groups and antioxidant metalloenzyme activities were also unchanged. We did not observe beneficial or adverse effects of lutein, lycopene or beta-carotene supplementation on biomarkers of oxidative stress. In apparently healthy subjects, carotenoid supplementation does not lead to significantly measurable improvement in antioxidant defenses.

For the Women's Health Study Research Group. The Women's Health Study: Summary of the study design

Article

Jan 1992

Relation of Consumption of Vitamin E, Vitamin C, and Carotenoids to Risk for Stroke among Men in the United States

Article

Jun 1999

Alberto Ascherio

Results: A total of 328 strokes occurred: 210 ischemic, 70 hemorrhagic, and 48 unclassified. After adjustment for age, smoking, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, body mass index, physical activity, parental history of myocardial infarction, alcohol consumption, and total energy intake, the relative risk for ischemic stroke in the top quintile of vitamin E intake (median, 411 IU/d) compared with the bottom quintile (5.4 IU/d) was 1.18 (95% CI, 0.77 to 1.82). The relative risk for ischemic stroke in the top quintile of vitamin C intake (1167 mg/d) compared with the bottom quintile (95 mg/d) was 1.03 (CI, 0.66 to 1.59). Results for total stroke were similar. Associations of vitamin intake with hemorrhagic stroke were also nonsignificant, but the CIs were wide. Neither dose nor duration of vitamin E or vitamin C supplement use was related to risk for total or ischemic stroke. The relative risk for ischemic stroke was 1.16 (CI, 0.81 to 1.67) in men using 250 IU or more of vitamin E supplementation per day compared with men who used no vitamin E supplements and was 0.93 (CI, 0.60 to 1.45) in men using 700 mg or more of vitamin C supplementation per day compared with men who used no vitamin C supplements. A significant inverse relation between lutein intake and risk for ischemic stroke was seen but was not independent of other dietary factors. Conclusions: Vitamin E and vitamin C supplements and specific carotenoids did not seem to substantially reduce risk for stroke in this cohort. Modest effects, however, cannot be excluded.

Plasma status of retinol, alpha- and gamma-tocopnerols, and main carotenoids to first myocardial infarction: Case control and follow-up study

Article

Jan 2002
NUTRITION

OBJECTIVE: Epidemiologic studies have suggested that dietary intake and plasma concentrations of antioxidants have an inverse relation with coronary heart disease. To test whether fat-soluble antioxidants can play a role against the occurrence of myocardial infarction (MI), we measured plasma levels of retinol, tocopherols, and individual carotenoids in MI patients. METHODS: A case-control and follow-up study of patients in the Mostoles area (Madrid, Spain). One hundred six patients (62 after 1 y) and 104 control subjects participated in the study. Blood samples were collected after overnight fast or during the first 24 h of MI onset for biochemical profiles of retinol, alpha- and gamma-tocopherols, and carotenoid by means of a quality-controlled high-performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS: During the acute phase after MI onset, plasma levels of retinol, gamma-tocopherol, and xanthophylls (lutein/zeaxanthin and (beta-cryptoxanthin) decreased, whereas alpha-tocopherol, alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and lycopene showed levels similar to those of control subjects. Logistic regression analysis showed low concentrations of gamma-tocopherol (and retinol) in plasma as the only statistically significant factor associated with MI, after adjusting for traditional risk factors. However, 1 y later, the MI patients showed a general improvement in plasma lipids and fat-soluble antioxidant status, and none of the analytes was associated with MI. CONCLUSIONS: The decreased plasma status of retinol, gamma-tocopherol, and xanthophylls during the acute phase of MI normalized the year after the MI event, suggesting that most subjects had followed an overall healthier lifestyle and dietary pattern. The results also raise concerns on the usefulness of the-se plasma compounds as specific, relevant, and predictive markers in relation to coronary heart disease. (C) Elsevier Science Inc. 2002.

MRC/BHF Heart Protection Study of antioxidant vitamin supplementation in 20,536 high-risk individuals: a randomised placebo-controlled trial Heart Protection Study Collaborative Group Lancet 2002 360 23 33 10.1016/S0140-6736(02)09328-5

Article

Jul 2002

Background: It has been suggested that increased intake of various antioxidant vitamins reduces the incidence rates of vascular disease, cancer, and other adverse outcomes. Methods: 20,536 UK adults (aged 40-80) with coronary disease, other occlusive arterial disease, or diabetes were randomly allocated to receive antioxidant vitamin supplementation (600 mg vitamin E, 250 mg vitamin C, and 20 mg beta-carotene daily) or matching placebo. Intention-to-treat comparisons of outcome were conducted between all vitamin-allocated and all placebo-allocated participants. An average of 83% of participants in each treatment group remained compliant during the scheduled 5-year treatment period. Allocation to this vitamin regimen approximately doubled the plasma concentration of alpha-tocopherol, increased that of vitamin C by one-third, and quadrupled that of beta-carotene. Primary outcomes were major coronary events (for overall analyses) and fatal or non-fatal vascular events (for subcategory analyses), with subsidiary assessments of cancer and of other major morbidity. Findings: There were no significant differences in all-cause mortality (1446 [14.1%] vitamin-allocated vs 1389 [13.5%] placebo-allocated), or in deaths due to vascular (878 [8.6%] vs 840 [8.2%]) or non-vascular (568 [5.5%] vs 549 [5.3%]) causes. Nor were there any significant differences in the numbers of participants having non-fatal myocardial infarction or coronary death (1063 [10.4%] vs 1047 [10.2%]), non-fatal or fatal stroke (511 [5.0%] vs 518 [5.0%]), or coronary or non-coronary revascularisation (1058 [10.3%] vs 1086 [10.6%]). For the first occurrence of any of these "major vascular events", there were no material differences either overall (2306 [22.5%] vs 2312 [22.5%]; event rate ratio 1.00 [95% CI 0.94-1.06]) or in any of the various subcategories considered. There were no significant effects on cancer incidence or on hospitalisation for any other non-vascular cause. Interpretation: Among the high-risk individuals that were studied, these antioxidant vitamins appeared to be safe. But, although this regimen increased blood vitamin concentrations substantially, it did not produce any significant reductions in the 5-year mortality from, or incidence of, any type of vascular disease, cancer, or other major outcome.

A Prospective Study of Tomato Products, Lycopene, and Prostate Cancer Risk

Article

Mar 2002
J NATL CANCER I

Edward Giovannucci

Background: Some data, including our findings from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS) from 1986 through January 31, 1992, suggest that frequent intake of tomato products or lycopene, a carotenoid from tomatoes, is associated with reduced risk of prostate cancer. Overall, however, the data are inconclusive. We evaluated additional data from the HPFS to determine if the association would persist. Methods: We ascertained prostate cancer cases from 1986 through January 31, 1998, among 47 365 HPFS participants who completed dietary questionnaires in 1986, 1990, and 1994. We used pooled logistic regression to compute multivariate relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). All statistical tests were two-sided. Results: From 1986 through January 31, 1998, 2481 men in the study developed prostate cancer. Results for the period from 1992 through 1998 confirmed our previous findings—that frequent tomato or lycopene intake was associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer. Similarly, for the entire period of 1986 through 1998, using the cumulative average of the three dietary questionnaires, lycopene intake was associated with reduced risk of prostate cancer (RR for high versus low quintiles = 0.84; 95% CI = 0.73 to 0.96; Ptrend = .003); intake of tomato sauce, the primary source of bioavailable lycopene, was associated with an even greater reduction in prostate cancer risk (RR for 2+ servings/week versus <1 serving/month = 0.77; 95% CI = 0.66 to 0.90; Ptrend<.001), especially for extraprostatic cancers (RR = 0.65; 95% CI = 0.42 to 0.99). These associations persisted in analyses controlling for fruit and vegetable consumption and for olive oil use (a marker for Mediterranean diet) and were observed separately in men of Southern European or other Caucasian ancestry. Conclusion: Frequent consumption of tomato products is associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer. The magnitude of the association was moderate enough that it could be missed in a small study or one with substantial errors in measurement or based on a single dietary assessment.

Antioxidant vitamins and the risk of carotid atherosclerosis

Article

Dec 2001
J AM COLL CARDIOL

OBJECTIVES This study examined whether dietary intake or plasma levels of antioxidant vitamins were independently associated with common carotid artery intima-media (wall) thickness (IMT) or focal plaque, or both, in a large, randomly selected community population.BACKGROUND Oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is thought to be important in early atherogenesis. Antioxidant micronutrients may therefore protect against lipid peroxidation and atherosclerotic vascular disease.METHODS We studied 1,111 subjects (558 men and 553 women; age 52 ± 13 years [mean ± SD], range 27 to 77). We measured dietary vitamin intake and fasting plasma levels of vitamins A, C and E, lycopene and alpha- and beta-carotene and performed bilateral carotid artery B-mode ultrasound imaging.RESULTSAfter adjustment for age and conventional risk factors, there was a progressive decrease in mean IMT, with increasing quartiles of dietary vitamin E intake in men (p = 0.02) and a nonsignificant trend in women (p = 0.10). Dietary vitamin E levels accounted for 1% of the variance in measured IMT in men. For plasma antioxidant vitamins, there was an inverse association between carotid artery mean IMT and plasma lycopene in women (p = 0.047), but not in men. None of the other dietary or plasma antioxidant vitamins, nor antioxidant vitamin supplements, were associated with carotid artery IMT or focal carotid artery plaque.CONCLUSIONS This study provides limited support for the hypothesis that increased dietary intake of vitamin E and increased plasma lycopene may decrease the risk of atherosclerosis. No benefit was demonstrated for supplemental antioxidant vitamin use.

Nutritional Epidemiol

Book

Jul 1998

Walter C. Willett

This book is intended to increase understanding of the complex relationships between diet and the major diseases of western civilization, such as cancer and atherosclerosis. The book starts with an overview of research strategies in nutritional epidemiology-a relatively new discipline which combines the knowledge compiled by nutritionists during this century with the methodology developed by epidemiologists to study the determinants of disease with multiple etiologies and long latent periods. A major part of the book is devoted to methods of dietary assessment using data on food intake, biochemical indicators of diet, and measures of body size and composition. The reproducibility and validity of each approach and the implications of measurement error are considered in detail. The analysis, presentation, and interpretation of data from epidemiologic studies of diet and disease are discussed. Particular attention is paid to the important influence of total energy intake on findings in such studies. As examples of methodologic issues in nutritional epidemiology, three substantive topics are examined in depth: the relations of diet and coronary heart disease, fat intake and breast cancer, and Vitamin A and lung cancer.

Lycopene: Chemistry, Biology, and Implications for Human Health and Disease

Article

Feb 1998
NUTR REV

Steven Clinton

A diet rich in carotenoid-containing foods is associated with a number of health benefits. Lycopene provides the familiar red color to tomato products and is one of the major carotenoids in the diet of North Americans and Europeans. Interest in lycopene is growing rapidly following the recent publication of epidemiologic studies implicating lycopene in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancers of the prostate or gastrointestinal tract. Lycopene has unique structural and chemical features that may contribute to specific biological properties. Data concerning lycopene bioavailability, tissue distribution, metabolism, excretion, and biological actions in experimental animals and humans are beginning to accumulate although much additional research is necessary. This review will summarize our knowledge in these areas as well as the associations between lycopene consumption and human health.

Relations between antioxidant vitamins in adipose tissue, plasma, and diet.

Article

Differences between plasma and adipose tissue biomarkers of carotenoids and tocopherols.

Article

Jan 1998

Lycopene as the most efficient biological carotenoid singlet oxygen quencher

Article

Dec 1989

Lycopene, a biologically occurring carotenoid, exhibits the highest physical quenching rate constant with singlet oxygen (kq = 31 X 10(9) M-1 s-1), and its plasma level is slightly higher than that of beta-carotene (kq = 14 X 10(9) M-1 s-1). This is of considerable general interest, since nutritional carotenoids, particularly beta-carotene, and other antioxidants such as alpha-tocopherol (kq = 0.3 X 10(9) M-1 s-1) have been implicated in the defense against prooxidant states; epidemiological evidence reveals that such compounds exert a protective action against certain types of cancer. Also, albumin-bound bilirubin is a known singlet oxygen quencher (kq = 3.2 X 10(9) M-1 s-1). Interestingly, those compounds with low kq values occur at higher plasma levels. When these differences are taken into account, the singlet oxygen quenching capacities of lycopene (0.7 microM in plasma), beta-carotene (0.5 microM in plasma), albumin-bound bilirubin (15 microM in plasma), and alpha-tocopherol (22 microM in plasma) are of comparable magnitude.

Reproducibility and Validity of A Semiquantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire

Article

Aug 1985
AM J EPIDEMIOL

The aim of this study was to evaluate the reproducibility and validity of a 61-item semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire used in a large prospective study among women. This form was administered twice to 173 participants at an interval of approximately one year (1980-1981), and four one-week diet records for each subject were collected during that period. Intraclass correlation coefficients for nutrient intakes estimated by the one-week diet records (range = 0.41 for total vitamin A without supplements to 0.79 for vitamin B6 with supplements) were similar to those computed from the questionnaire (range = 0.49 for total vitamin A without supplements to 0.71 for sucrose), indicating that these methods were generally comparable with respect to reproducibility. With the exception of sucrose and total carbohydrate, nutrient intakes from the diet records tended to correlate more strongly with those computed from the questionnaire after adjustment for total caloric intake. Correlation coefficients between the mean calorie-adjusted intakes from the four one-week diet records and those from the questionnaire completed after the diet records ranged from 0.36 for vitamin A without supplements to 0.75 for vitamin C with supplements. Overall, 48% of subjects in the lowest quintile of calorie-adjusted intake computed from the diet records were also in the lowest questionnaire quintile, and 74% were in the lowest one of two questionnaire quintiles. Similarly, 49% of those in the highest diet record quintile were also in the highest questionnaire quintile, and 77% were in the highest one or two questionnaire quintiles. These data indicate that a simple self-administered dietary questionnaire can provide useful information about individual nutrient intakes over a one-year period.

Intake of Carotenoids and Retino in Relation to Risk of Prostate Cancer

Article

Jan 1996

Several human studies have observed a direct association between retinol (vitamin A) intake and risk of prostate cancer; other studies have found either an inverse association or no association of intake of beta-carotene (the major provitamin A) with risk of prostate cancer. Data regarding carotenoids other than beta-carotene in relation to prostate cancer risk are sparse. We concluded a prospective cohort study to examine the relationship between the intake of various carotenoids, retinol, fruits, and vegetables and the risk of prostate cancer. Using responses to a validated, semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire mailed to participants in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study in 1986, we assessed dietary intake for a 1-year period for a cohort of 47,894 eligible subjects initially free of diagnosed cancer. Follow-up questionnaires were sent to the entire cohort in 1988, 1990, and 1992. We calculated the relative risk (RR) for each of the upper categories of intake of a specific food or nutrient by dividing the incidence rate of prostate cancer among men in each of these categories by the rate among men in the lowest intake level. All P values resulted from two-sided tests. Between 1986 and 1992, 812 new cases of prostate cancer, including 773 non-stage A1 cases, were documented. Intakes of the carotenoids beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, lutein, and beta-cryptoxanthin were not associated with risk of non-stage A1 prostate cancer; only lycopene intake was related to lower risk (age- and energy-adjusted RR = 0.79; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.64-0.99 for high versus low quintile of intake; P for trend = .04). Of 46 vegetables and fruits or related products, four were significantly associated with lower prostate cancer risk; of the four--tomato sauce (P for trend = .001), tomatoes (P for trend = .03), and pizza (P for trend = .05), but not strawberries--were primary sources of lycopene. Combined intake of tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato juice, and pizza (which accounted for 82% of lycopene intake) was inversely associated with risk of prostate cancer (multivariate RR = 0.65; 95% CI = 0.44-0.95, for consumption frequency greater than 10 versus less than 1.5 servings per week; P for trend = .01) and advanced (stages C and D) prostate cancers (multivariate RR = 0.47; 95% CI = 0.22-1.00; P for trend = .03). No consistent association was observed for dietary retinol and risk of prostate cancer. These findings suggest that intake of lycopene or other compounds in tomatoes may reduce prostate cancer risk, but other measured carotenoids are unrelated to risk. Our findings support recommendations to increase vegetable and fruit consumption to reduce cancer incidence but suggest that tomato-based foods may be especially beneficial regarding prostate cancer risk.

Serum antioxidants and myocardial infarction: Are low levels of carotenoids and ??-tocopherol risk factors for myocardial infarction?

Article

Oct 1994

In vitro, animal and epidemiological studies suggest that lipoprotein oxidation may play an important role in atherosclerosis. Antioxidants may protect against lipoprotein oxidation and in that way inhibit atherosclerosis and its clinical sequelae. To investigate this possibility, we examined the association between levels of several antioxidants and myocardial infarction using serum specimens collected 7 to 14 years before the onset of myocardial infarction. A nested case-control design was used. Cases and control subjects were selected from the 25,802 persons who had donated 15 mL of blood in 1974 for a serum bank. Cases comprised 123 persons with a subsequent first diagnosis of myocardial infarction who ranged from 23 through 58 years of age in 1974 and who had had their first diagnosis of myocardial infarction during 1981 to 1988. Two groups of control subjects matched to the cases for sex and age were selected from donors to the serum bank, one from those with hospital admissions during the same period and the other from the total group of donors. Sera were assayed for four carotenoids (beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin), alpha-tocopherol, and cholesterol. Because associations with these serum nutrients showed similar trends whether based on hospital or community controls, the two control groups were combined. There was a significantly increasing risk for subsequent myocardial infarction with decreasing levels of beta-carotene in 1974 (P value for trend, .02) and a suggestive trend with decreasing levels of lutein (P = .09). When the results were stratified by smoking status, the excess risk of myocardial infarction associated with low serum levels of carotenoids was limited to smokers. A protective association with higher levels of alpha-tocopherol was suggested only among persons with high levels of serum cholesterol. Low serum levels of carotenoids were associated with an increased risk of subsequent myocardial infarction among smokers.

Lack of Effect of Long-Term Supplementation with Beta Carotene on the Incidence of Malignant Neoplasms and Cardiovascular Disease

Article

Jun 1996

Observational studies suggest that people who consume more fruits and vegetables containing beta carotene have somewhat lower risks of cancer and cardiovascular disease, and earlier basic research suggested plausible mechanisms. Because large randomized trials of long duration were necessary to test this hypothesis directly, we conducted a trial of beta carotene supplementation. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of beta carotene (50 mg on alternate days), we enrolled 22,071 male physicians, 40 to 84 years of age, in the United States; 11 percent were current smokers and 39 percent were former smokers at the beginning of the study in 1982. By December 31, 1995, the scheduled end of the study, fewer than 1 percent had been lost to follow-up, and compliance was 78 percent in the group that received beta carotene. Among 11,036 physicians randomly assigned to receive beta carotene and 11,035 assigned to receive placebo, there were virtually no early or late differences in the overall incidence of malignant neoplasms or cardiovascular disease, or in overall mortality. In the beta carotene group, 1273 men had any malignant neoplasm (except nonmelanoma skin cancer), as compared with 1293 in the placebo group (relative risk, 0.98; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.91 to 1.06). There were also no significant differences in the number of cases of lung cancer (82 in the beta carotene group vs. 88 in the placebo group); the number of deaths from cancer (386 vs. 380), deaths from any cause (979 vs. 968), or deaths from cardiovascular disease (338 vs. 313); the number of men with myocardial infarction (468 vs. 489); the number with stroke (367 vs. 382); or the number with any one of the previous three end points (967 vs. 972). Among current and former smokers, there were also no significant early or late differences in any of these end points. In this trial among healthy men, 12 years of supplementation with beta carotene produced neither benefit nor harm in terms of the incidence of malignant neoplasms, cardiovascular disease, or death from all causes.

Risk factors for microangiopathy-related cerebral damage in the Austrian stroke prevention study

Article

Dec 1997
J NEUROL SCI

Microangiopathy-related cerebral damage (MARCD) represents a common incidental MRI observation in the elderly. The risk factors of such findings are widely unknown. We therefore performed MRI in 349 randomly selected volunteers (ages 50 to 70 years) without neuropsychiatric disease, and evaluated the association of MARCD with conventional and recently suggested cerebrovascular risk factors such as apolipoprotein E genotypes, plasma concentrations of essential antioxidants and anticardiolipin antibody titres. MARCD was defined as evidence of early confluent and confluent deep white matter hyperintensities and lacunes. It was present in 71 (20.3%) subjects. Individuals with MARCD were older than those without such findings (62.7 years vs 59.6 years; P=0.0001). They had a higher rate of arterial hypertension (45.1% vs 28.1%; P=0.006) and cardiac disease (50.7% vs 37.1%; P=0.04), higher systolic blood pressure readings at exam (144.4 mmHg vs 136.7 mmHg; P=0.004), and higher serum fibrinogen concentrations (327.1 mg/dl vs 292.5 mg/dl; P=0.001). Their levels of total cholesterol (217.6 mg/dl vs 231.2; P=0.009), apolipoprotein A-I (167.3 mg/dl vs 177.4 mg/dl, P=0.02), lycopene (0.17 micromol/l vs 0.24 micromol/l; P=0.003), retinol (1.91 micromol/l vs 2.10 micromol/l; P=0.02) and alpha-tocopherol (27.55 micromol/l vs 31.14 micromol/l; P=0.001) were significantly lower. Forward stepwise regression analysis created a model of independent predictors of MARCD with age entering first (odds ratio 2.01/10 years), fibrinogen second (odds ratio 2.45/100 mg/dl), alpha-tocopherol third (odds ratio 0.55/10 micromol/l), and arterial hypertension fourth (odds ratio 1.96). The association of MARCD with various treatable clinical conditions may have preventive implications.

Agarwal S & Rao V: Tomato lycopene and LDL oxidation. A human dietary intervention study. Lipids 33, 981-985

Article

Nov 1998

Increase in low density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation is hypothesized to be causally associated with increasing risk of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. In recent epidemiological studies, tissue and serum levels of lycopene, a carotenoid available from tomatoes, have been found to be inversely related to risk of coronary heart disease. A study was undertaken to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation of lycopene on LDL oxidation in 19 healthy human subjects. Dietary lycopene was provided using tomato juice, spaghetti sauce, and tomato oleoresin for a period of 1 wk each. Blood samples were collected at the end of each treatment. Serum lycopene was extracted and measured by high-performance liquid chromatography using an absorbance detector. Serum LDL was isolated by precipitation with buffered heparin, and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) and conjugated dienes (CD) were measured to estimate LDL oxidation. Both methods, to measure LDL oxidation LDL-TBARS and LDL-CD, were in good agreement with each other. Dietary supplementation of lycopene significantly increased serum lycopene levels by at least twofold. Although there was no change in serum cholesterol levels (total, LDL, or high-density lipoprotein), serum lipid peroxidation and LDL oxidation were significantly decreased. These results may have relevance for decreasing the risk for coronary heart disease.

Dietary supplementation with ??-carotene, but not with lycopene, inhibits endothelial cell-mediated oxidation of low-density lipoprotein

Article

Jun 1999
FREE RADICAL BIO MED

Carotenoids may protect low-density lipoprotein from oxidation, a process implicated in the development of atherosclerosis. Our previous studies showed that in vitro enrichment of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) with beta-carotene protected it from cell-mediated oxidation. However, in vitro enrichment with either lutein or lycopene actually enhanced oxidation of the LDL. In the present studies we have examined the impact of LDL carotenoid content on its oxidation by human aortic endothelial cells (EaHy-1) in culture, comparing the effects of in vivo supplementation with in vitro enrichments. The beta-carotene content in human LDL was increased three- to sixfold by daily supplementation with 15 mg beta-carotene for 4 weeks, and the lycopene content of LDL in other individuals was increased two- to threefold by ingestion of one glass (12 ounce) of tomato juice daily for 3 weeks. LDL isolated from these healthy, normolipidemic donors not taking supplemental carotenoid was incubated at 0.25 mg protein/ml with EaHy-1 cells in Ham's F-10 medium for up to 48 h. Following dietary beta-carotene supplementation, LDL oxidation (as assessed by formation of lipid hydroperoxides) was markedly inhibited, to an even greater extent than was observed for LDL enriched in vitro with beta-carotene (that resulted in an 11- to 12-fold increase in LDL beta-carotene). No effect on cell-mediated oxidation was observed, however, for LDL enriched in vivo with lycopene. Thus, beta-carotene appears to function as an antioxidant in protecting LDL from cell-mediated oxidation although lycopene does not. The fact that the three- to sixfold enrichments of LDL with beta-carotene achieved by dietary supplementation were more effective in inhibiting oxidation than the 11- to 12-fold enrichments achieved by an in vitro method suggests that dietary supplementation is a more appropriate procedure for studies involving the enrichment of lipoprotein with carotenoids.

Relation of Consumption of Vitamin E, Vitamin C, and Carotenoids to Risk for Stroke among Men in the United States

Article

Jul 1999

Antioxidants increase the resistance of low-density lipoprotein to oxidation and may thereby reduce risk for atherosclerosis. To determine whether intake of vitamin E, vitamin C, or carotenoids predict risk for total or ischemic stroke. Prospective observational study. The Health Professionals Follow-up Study. 43,738 men 40 to 75 years of age who did not have cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Repeated and validated dietary assessments were done by using a self-administered 131-item food-frequency questionnaire, which included questions on dose and duration of vitamin supplement use. The follow-up period was 8 years. A total of 328 strokes occurred: 210 ischemic, 70 hemorrhagic, and 48 unclassified. After adjustment for age, smoking, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, body mass index, physical activity, parental history of myocardial infarction, alcohol consumption, and total energy intake, the relative risk for ischemic stroke in the top quintile of vitamin E intake (median, 411 IU/d) compared with the bottom quintile (5.4 IU/d) was 1.18 (95% CI, 0.77 to 1.82). The relative risk for ischemic stroke in the top quintile of vitamin C intake (1167 mg/d) compared with the bottom quintile (95 mg/d) was 1.03 (CI, 0.66 to 1.59). Results for total stroke were similar. Associations of vitamin intake with hemorrhagic stroke were also nonsignificant, but the CIs were wide. Neither dose nor duration of vitamin E or vitamin C supplement use was related to risk for total or ischemic stroke. The relative risk for ischemic stroke was 1.16 (CI, 0.81 to 1.67) in men using 250 IU or more of vitamin E supplementation per day compared with men who used no vitamin E supplements and was 0.93 (CI, 0.60 to 1.45) in men using 700 mg or more of vitamin C supplementation per day compared with men who used no vitamin C supplements. A significant inverse relation between lutein intake and risk for ischemic stroke was seen but was not independent of other dietary factors. Vitamin E and vitamin C supplements and specific carotenoids did not seem to substantially reduce risk for stroke in this cohort. Modest effects, however, cannot be excluded.

Moderate Intervention with Carotenoid-Rich Vegetable Products Reduces Lipid Peroxidation in Men

Article

Oct 2000

Because of their antioxidant properties, carotenoids may have beneficial effects in preventing cancer and cardiovascular disease. However, in humans consuming carotenoid-rich vegetables, data concerning the antioxidant effects of carotenoids are rather scarce. A human intervention trial was conducted, therefore, to determine whether a moderately increased consumption of carotenoid-rich vegetables would influence the antioxidant status in 23 healthy men. This short-term feeding study lasted 8 wk during which the men consumed a low carotenoid diet. A 2-wk low carotenoid period was followed by daily consumption of 330 mL tomato juice, then by 330 mL carrot juice and then by 10 g of spinach powder, each for 2 wk. Antioxidant status [water-soluble antioxidants in serum, ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) and antioxidant enzyme activities] and lipid peroxidation (plasma malondialdehyde and ex vivo oxidation of LDL) were determined. In a subgroup of 10 men, lipoprotein carotenoids were measured. The consumption of carotenoid-rich vegetables significantly increased selected carotenoids in lipoproteins but had only minor effects on their relative distribution pattern. Tomato juice consumption reduced plasma thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) by 12% (P: < 0.05) and lipoprotein oxidizability in terms of an increased lag time (18%, P: < 0.05). Carrot juice and spinach powder had no effect on lipid peroxidation. Water-soluble antioxidants, FRAP, glutathione peroxidase and reductase activities did not change during any study period. In evaluating the low carotenoid diet, we conclude that the additional consumption of carotenoid-rich vegetable products enhanced lipoprotein carotenoid concentrations, but only tomato juice reduced LDL oxidation in healthy men.

Low Plasma Lycopene Concentration Is Associated With Increased Intima-Media Thickness of the Carotid Artery Wall

Article

Dec 2000
ARTERIOSCL THROM VAS

Although a number of epidemiological studies have evaluated the association between ss-carotene and the risk of cardiovascular diseases, there has been little research on the role of lycopene, an acyclic form of ss-carotene, with regard to the risk of cardiovascular disease. We investigated the relationship between plasma concentrations of lycopene and intima-media thickness of the common carotid artery wall (CCA-IMT) in 520 middle-aged men and women (aged 45 to 69 years) in eastern Finland. They were examined from 1994 to 1995 at the baseline of the Antioxidant Supplementation in Atherosclerosis Prevention (ASAP) study, a randomized trial concerning the effect of vitamin E and C supplementation on atherosclerotic progression. The subjects were classified into 2 categories according to the median concentration of plasma lycopene (0.12 micromol/L in men and 0.15 micromol/L in women). Mean CCA-IMT of the right and left common carotid arteries was 1.18 mm in men and 0.95 mm in women with plasma lycopene levels lower than the median and 0.97 mm in men (P:<0.001 for difference) and 0.89 mm in women (P:=0.027 for difference) with higher levels of plasma lycopene. In ANCOVA adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors and intake of nutrients, in men, low levels of plasma lycopene were associated with a 17.8% increment in CCA-IMT (P:=0.003 for difference). In women, the difference did not remain significant after the adjustments. We conclude that low plasma lycopene concentrations are associated with early atherosclerosis, manifested as increased CCA-IMT, in middle-aged men living in eastern Finland.

Serum Carotenoids and Markers of Inflammation in Nonsmokers

Article

Dec 2000
AM J EPIDEMIOL

One explanation for discrepant results between epidemiologic studies and randomized trials of beta-carotene and cardiovascular disease may be a failure to consider inflammation as a confounder. To evaluate the potential for such confounding, the authors relate the serum concentrations of five carotenoids (alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, and lutein/zeaxanthin) to levels of three inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, and white blood cell count) measured during the Third National Health and Nutrition Survey, 1988-1994. The analysis included 4,557 nonsmoking participants aged 25-55 years. Adjusted concentrations of all five carotenoids were significantly lower in those with C-reactive protein levels above 0.88 mg/dl (p = 0.001). There was a trend toward lower adjusted beta-cryptoxanthin concentrations with increasing level of fibrinogen (p value test for trend = 0.01), but other carotenoids were not related. Many of the carotenoid concentrations were lower among participants with high white blood cell counts. After log transformation, only adjusted mean beta-carotene levels were significantly lower in those with white blood cell counts above 7.85 x 10(9)/liter (p < 0.01). These cross-sectional data do not clarify the biologic relation between carotenoids and C-reactive protein but, to the extent that the carotenoids are associated with C-reactive protein levels, a carotenoid-heart disease association may be, in part, an inflammation-heart disease association.

Lyon Diet Heart Study : Benefits of a Mediterranean-Style, National Cholesterol Education Program/American Heart Association Step I Dietary Pattern on Cardiovascular Disease

Article

May 2001
CIRCULATION

Diet is a cornerstone of cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention and treatment efforts. Step I and Step II diets are widely recommended as the first line of CVD intervention.1 At the core of this dietary guidance are the recommendations to decrease saturated fat and cholesterol and to consume more fruits, vegetables, and whole grain products. Information from an extensive database, especially regarding saturated fat, indicates that these diets significantly lower blood cholesterol levels, a major risk factor for CVD. Consequently, it is beyond debate that these diets reduce CVD risk. Since the advent of Step I and Step II diets, nutritionists have sought to develop effective implementation strategies, including identifying dietary patterns that augment the beneficial effects of these diets. Recent findings indicate that we are making impressive progress in attaining these goals. There is provocative evidence from the Lyon Diet Heart Study2 suggesting that a Mediterranean-style, Step I diet (emphasizing more bread, more root vegetables and green vegetables, more fish, less beef, lamb and pork replaced with poultry, no day without fruit, and butter and cream replaced with margarine high in α-linolenic acid) has effects that may be superior to those observed for the usual Step I diet. These findings raise the interesting, but not yet corroborated, question of whether a modified Step I diet (ie, a Mediterranean-style Step I diet) that features a dietary pattern consistent with the new American Heart Association (AHA) Dietary Guidelines may augment the Step I or Step II diets that are presently implemented in clinical practice. Defining a Mediterranean-style diet is challenging given the broad geographical region, including at least 16 countries, that borders the Mediterranean Sea. As would be expected, there are cultural, ethnic, religious, economic, and agricultural production differences that result in different dietary practices in these areas and that …

Antioxidant vitamins and the risk of carotid atherosclerosis. The Perth Carotid Ultrasound Disease Assessment Study (CUDAS)

Article

May 2002
J AM COLL CARDIOL

This study examined whether dietary intake or plasma levels of antioxidant vitamins were independently associated with common carotid artery intima-media (wall) thickness (IMT) or focal plaque, or both, in a large, randomly selected community population. Oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is thought to be important in early atherogenesis. Antioxidant micronutrients may therefore protect against lipid peroxidation and atherosclerotic vascular disease. We studied 1,111 subjects (558 men and 553 women; age 52 +/- 13 years [mean +/- SD], range 27 to 77). We measured dietary vitamin intake and fasting plasma levels of vitamins A, C and E, lycopene and alpha- and beta-carotene and performed bilateral carotid artery B-mode ultrasound imaging. RESULTS; After adjustment for age and conventional risk factors, there was a progressive decrease in mean IMT, with increasing quartiles of dietary vitamin E intake in men (p = 0.02) and a nonsignificant trend in women (p = 0.10). Dietary vitamin E levels accounted for 1% of the variance in measured IMT in men. For plasma antioxidant vitamins, there was an inverse association between carotid artery mean IMT and plasma lycopene in women (p = 0.047), but not in men. None of the other dietary or plasma antioxidant vitamins, nor antioxidant vitamin supplements, were associated with carotid artery IMT or focal carotid artery plaque. This study provides limited support for the hypothesis that increased dietary intake of vitamin E and increased plasma lycopene may decrease the risk of atherosclerosis. No benefit was demonstrated for supplemental antioxidant vitamin use.

Plasma status of retinol, α- and γ-tocopherols, and main carotenoids to first myocardial infarction: Case control and follow-up study

Article

Feb 2002
NUTRITION

Epidemiologic studies have suggested that dietary intake and plasma concentrations of antioxidants have an inverse relation with coronary heart disease. To test whether fat-soluble antioxidants can play a role against the occurrence of myocardial infarction (MI), we measured plasma levels of retinol, tocopherols, and individual carotenoids in MI patients. A case-control and follow-up study of patients in the Móstoles area (Madrid, Spain). One hundred six patients (62 after 1 y) and 104 control subjects participated in the study. Blood samples were collected after overnight fast or during the first 24 h of MI onset for biochemical profiles of retinol, alpha- and gamma-tocopherols, and carotenoid by means of a quality-controlled high-performance liquid chromatography. During the acute phase after MI onset, plasma levels of retinol, gamma-tocopherol, and xanthophylls (lutein/zeaxanthin and beta-cryptoxanthin) decreased, whereas alpha-tocopherol, alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and lycopene showed levels similar to those of control subjects. Logistic regression analysis showed low concentrations of gamma-tocopherol (and retinol) in plasma as the only statistically significant factor associated with MI, after adjusting for traditional risk factors. However, 1 y later, the MI patients showed a general improvement in plasma lipids and fat-soluble antioxidant status, and none of the analytes was associated with MI. The decreased plasma status of retinol, gamma-tocopherol, and xanthophylls during the acute phase of MI normalized the year after the MI event, suggesting that most subjects had followed an overall healthier lifestyle and dietary pattern. The results also raise concerns on the usefulness of these plasma compounds as specific, relevant, and predictive markers in relation to coronary heart disease.

A prospective study of tomato products, lycopene, and prostate cancer risk

Article

Mar 2002

Some data, including our findings from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS) from 1986 through January 31, 1992, suggest that frequent intake of tomato products or lycopene, a carotenoid from tomatoes, is associated with reduced risk of prostate cancer. Overall, however, the data are inconclusive. We evaluated additional data from the HPFS to determine if the association would persist. We ascertained prostate cancer cases from 1986 through January 31, 1998, among 47 365 HPFS participants who completed dietary questionnaires in 1986, 1990, and 1994. We used pooled logistic regression to compute multivariate relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). All statistical tests were two-sided. From 1986 through January 31, 1998, 2481 men in the study developed prostate cancer. Results for the period from 1992 through 1998 confirmed our previous findings---that frequent tomato or lycopene intake was associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer. Similarly, for the entire period of 1986 through 1998, using the cumulative average of the three dietary questionnaires, lycopene intake was associated with reduced risk of prostate cancer (RR for high versus low quintiles = 0.84; 95% CI = 0.73 to 0.96; P(trend) =.003); intake of tomato sauce, the primary source of bioavailable lycopene, was associated with an even greater reduction in prostate cancer risk (RR for 2+ servings/week versus <1 serving/month = 0.77; 95% CI = 0.66 to 0.90; P(trend)<.001), especially for extraprostatic cancers (RR = 0.65; 95% CI = 0.42 to 0.99). These associations persisted in analyses controlling for fruit and vegetable consumption and for olive oil use (a marker for Mediterranean diet) and were observed separately in men of Southern European or other Caucasian ancestry. Frequent consumption of tomato products is associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer. The magnitude of the association was moderate enough that it could be missed in a small study or one with substantial errors in measurement or based on a single dietary assessment.

Influence of increased fruit and vegetable intake on plasma and lipoprotein carotenoids and LDL oxidation in smokers and nonsmokers

Jan 2000
CLIN CHEM
1818-1829

M Chopra
M E O'neill
N Keogh
G Wortley
S Southon
D I Thurnham

Chopra, M., O'Neill, M. E., Keogh, N., Wortley, G., Southon, S. & Thurnham, D. I. (2000) Influence of increased fruit and vegetable intake on plasma and lipoprotein carotenoids and LDL oxidation in smokers and nonsmokers. Clin. Chem. 46: 1818 -1829.

Lycopene and myocardial infarction risk in the EURAMIC Study Serum antioxidants and myocardial infarction Are low levels of carotenoids and alpha-tocopherol risk factors for myocardial infarction

Jan 1994
618-626

L Kohlmeier
J D Kark
E Gomez-Gracia
B C Martin
S E Steck
A F Kardinaal
J Ringstad
M Thamm
V Masaev
R Riemersma
J M Martinmoreno
J K Huttunen
F J Kok
G W Salkeld
R M Schuep
W Klag

Kohlmeier, L., Kark, J. D., Gomez-Gracia, E., Martin, B. C., Steck, S. E., Kardinaal, A. F., Ringstad, J., Thamm, M., Masaev, V., Riemersma, R., MartinMoreno, J. M., Huttunen, J. K. & Kok, F. J. (1997) Lycopene and myocardial infarction risk in the EURAMIC Study. Am. J. Epidemiol. 146: 618-626. 11. Street, D. A., Comstock, G. W., Salkeld, R. M., Schuep, W. & Klag, M. J. (1994) Serum antioxidants and myocardial infarction. Are low levels of carotenoids and alpha-tocopherol risk factors for myocardial infarction? Circulation 90: 1154-1161.

Vitamin E supplementation and cardiovascular events in high-risk patients. The Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation Study Investigators MRC/BHF Heart Protection Study of antioxidant vitamin supplementation in 20,536 high-risk individuals: a randomised placebo-controlled trial

Jan 2002
154-160

Vitamin E supplementation and cardiovascular events in high-risk patients. The Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation Study Investigators. N. Engl. J. Med. 342: 154-160. 33. (2002) MRC/BHF Heart Protection Study of antioxidant vitamin supplementation in 20,536 high-risk individuals: a randomised placebo-controlled trial. Lancet 360: 23-33.

Serum antioxidants and myocardial infarction. Are low levels of carotenoids and alpha-tocopherol risk factors for myocardial infarction

Jan 1994
AM J EPIDEMIOL
1154-1161

L Kohlmeier
J D Kark
E Gomez-Gracia
B C Martin
S E Steck
A F Kardinaal
J Ringstad
M Thamm
V Masaev
R Riemersma
J M Martin-Moreno
J K Huttunen
F J Kok

Kohlmeier, L., Kark, J. D., Gomez-Gracia, E., Martin, B. C., Steck, S. E., Kardinaal, A. F., Ringstad, J., Thamm, M., Masaev, V., Riemersma, R., Martin-Moreno, J. M., Huttunen, J. K. & Kok, F. J. (1997) Lycopene and myocardial infarction risk in the EURAMIC Study. Am. J. Epidemiol. 146: 618 -626. 11. Street, D. A., Comstock, G. W., Salkeld, R. M., Schuep, W. & Klag, M. J. (1994) Serum antioxidants and myocardial infarction. Are low levels of carotenoids and alpha-tocopherol risk factors for myocardial infarction? Circulation 90: 1154 -1161.

World Health Organization (1971) Ischaemic Heart Disease Registers: Report of the Fifth Working Group, Including a Second Revision of the Operating Protocol: Copenhagen

Jan 1971
26-29

W C Willett

Willett, W. C. (1998) Nutritional Epidemiology. Oxford University Press, New York, NY. 24. World Health Organization (1971) Ischaemic Heart Disease Registers: Report of the Fifth Working Group, Including a Second Revision of the Operating Protocol: Copenhagen, 26 -29 April 1971. Regional Office for Europe, WHO, Copenhagen, Denmark.

MRC/BHF Heart Protection Study of antioxidant vitamin supplementation in 20,536 high-risk individuals: a randomised placebo-controlled trial

Jan 2002
23-33

Vitamin E supplementation and cardiovascular events in high-risk patients. The Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation Study Investigators. N. Engl. J. Med. 342: 154 -160. 33. (2002) MRC/BHF Heart Protection Study of antioxidant vitamin supplementation in 20,536 high-risk individuals: a randomised placebo-controlled trial. Lancet 360: 23-33.

Tomato lycopene and low density lipoprotein oxidation: a human dietary intervention study

Jan 1998
981

Agarwal

Influence of increased fruit and vegetable intake on plasma and lipoprotein carotenoids and LDL oxidation in smokers and nonsmokers

Jan 2000
1818

Chopra

Antioxidant vitamins and the risk of carotid atherosclerosis. The Perth Carotid Ultrasound Disease Assessment study (CUDAS)

Jan 2001
1788

McQuillan

Dietary Lycopene, Tomato-Based Food Products and Cardiovascular Disease in Women

Abstract

No full-text available

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