Tomato consumption and plasma lycopene concentration in people aged 65 y and over in a British national survey

Abstract

Objective: Assessment of consumption of raw and processed tomatoes, plasma lycopene concentration and their interrelationship in a nationally representative sample of elderly British people. Setting: A 1994-1995 National Diet and Nutrition Survey: a nationwide cross-sectional sample of people aged 65 y and over living in mainland Britain, either in the community ('free-living', n ¼ 1275) or in institutions such as nursing homes (n ¼ 412). Methods: Consumption of raw and processed tomatoes (including those in tomato-containing composite foods) was recorded by a 4-day dietary record for each participant. Plasma lycopene concentration was assayed by HPLC. Sociodemographic and lifestyle information was recorded by trained interviewers. Results: In all, 29% of free-living people and 24% of those living in institutions did not consume any raw or processed tomatoes during the 4-day recording period. Free-living participants were more likely to consume raw tomatoes (26 vs 16%). Plasma lycopene concentration was positively associated with the weight of raw and processed tomatoes consumed, especially with processed tomatoes and their products, alcohol consumption and with plasma total (as well as HDL and non-HDL) cholesterol concentrations. Among free-living participants, increased age, cigarette smoking habit and manual occupational social class were all associated with lower plasma lycopene concentration. Conclusions: In the current population, consumption of raw and processed tomatoes varied by sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics, and made a significant contribution to plasma lycopene concentration. Determinants of plasma lycopene concentration were age, plasma cholesterol concentration and smoking habit.

Lycopene enrichment of cultured airway epithelial cells decreases the inflammation induced by rhinovirus infection and lipopolysaccharide

“…Therefore, in this experiment, we have optimised conditions by enriching Calu-3 cells with lycopene at a concentration of 2.5 μg/ml (that is equivalent to 4.65 μM), dissolved in 0.5% THF, for 24 h prior to exposure to RV and LPS. This amount of lycopene in the medium is almost two times higher than circulating plasma lycopene levels in healthy people, which is reported to be 0.8-1.34 μg/ml [51][52][53]. Therefore, the intracellular dose we achieved after our recommended method is likely to be biologically relevant to human physiologic systems.…”

Geographical Location has Greater Impact on Carotenoid Content and Bioaccessibility from Tomatoes than Variety

“…Regular consumption of tomatoes and tomato-based products has been associated with a reduced risk of chronic human diseases, such as certain cancers and cardiovascular disease [2][3][4][5]. Researchers have suggested that these beneficial health effects are attributed to their high levels of carotenoids, in particular lycopene [1,3,[5][6][7][8][9]. Tomatoes and tomato-based products are the main source of lycopene in the human diet [2,7,9], providing more than 80% of dietary lycopene [6,7].…”

“…Researchers have suggested that these beneficial health effects are attributed to their high levels of carotenoids, in particular lycopene [1,3,[5][6][7][8][9]. Tomatoes and tomato-based products are the main source of lycopene in the human diet [2,7,9], providing more than 80% of dietary lycopene [6,7].…”

Nutritional Quality and Health Benefits of Vegetables: A Review

“…Tomato lycopene is found in appreciable levels in human serum and tissues when tomatoes and tomato products are consumed frequently [139][140][141]. Several research investigations have shown an inverse relationship between plasma/serum lycopene concentrations and risk of some cancers [142][143][144][145][146][147][148].…”