Fun Food Factoids
Phytochemicals are:
- Substances produced by plants to protect them from damage from environment (predators, pathogens, solar radiation).
- Antioxidants.
- Include toxins produced by plant to fight off predators. When eaten by humans, these up-regulate detoxifying enzymes that help protect from harmful substances, including carcinogens.
- Considered non-nutritive, because they do not provide energy, vitamins, or minerals.
- Most are heat stable and not significantly lost in cooking water.
Lycopene is a phytochemical which:
- Is responsible for the red color of tomatoes, also found in tomato juice, sauce, pink grapefruit, salsa
- Is the predominant carotenoid in plasma
- Age and BMI are inversely assoc with lycopene concentrations
- Has inverse relationship with prostate cancer & cancers of GI tract
- Evidence in breast cancer less substantial with RR of approx. 0.8-1.02.
Giovanucci E. JNCI , 2002; Giovanucci E. JNCI, 1995; La Vecchia C. PSEBM, 1998; Ching, J Nutr 2002.
Which Means… Men… Women… Enjoy Your Tomatoes
This Study supports “whole is greater than sum of its parts”…or food more effective than an isolated food component. Tomato powder but not lycopene supplement inhibited prostate cancer in rats. Boileau TW-M, JNCI 2003;95:1578-86; Gann PH, JNCI 2003;95:1563-65). |
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