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The Health of It All...
Lycopene Research
Lycopene is the antioxidant chemical that is the major red pigment in fruits and vegetables. In a recent study of over 45,000 men, researchers at Harvard University found that eating foods containing high amounts of lycopene reduced the risk of prostate cancer by about 35%. There are also studies that show lycopenes have a beneficial effect on LDL (bad cholesterol) but none that prove a correlation between eating foods high in lycopenes and a lowered risk of heart disease.
Tomatoes are one of the best sources of lycopenes and cooking them helps release the antioxidant. A medium tomato has about 3.5 mg of lycopene while tomato sauce almost 20 mg in a half a cup and tomato soup about 25 mg in a cup. Other fruits and vegetables that have red pigment like watermelon and grapefruit are good sources of lycopene as well.
There is so much discussion about antioxidants and here's another one that may have some benefit. The bottom line is that eating good food is good for you.
