Roman Byst
Wed, Mar-07-07, 17:17
"Unique Tomatoes Tops In Disease-Fighting Antioxidants", 24-7
Press Release, March 7, 2007, Link:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=64157
Deep red tomatoes get their rich color from lycopene, a
disease- fighting antioxidant. A new study, however, suggests
that a special variety of orange-colored tomatoes provide a
different form of lycopene, one that our bodies may more
readily use.
Researchers found that eating spaghetti covered in sauce
made from these orange tomatoes, called Tangerine tomatoes,
caused a noticeable boost in this form of lycopene in
participants' blood.
"While red tomatoes contain far more lycopene than orange
tomatoes, most of it is in a form that the body doesn't absorb
well," said Steven Schwartz, the study's lead author and a
professor of food science and technology at Ohio State
University.
"The people in the study actually consumed less lycopene when
they ate sauce made from the orange tomatoes, but they
absorbed far more lycopene than they would have if it had
come from red tomatoes," he said. "That's what is so dramatic
about it."
The tomatoes used for this work were developed specifically
for the study - these particular varieties aren't readily
available in grocery stores. The researchers suggest that
interested consumers seek out orange- and gold-colored
heirloom tomatoes as an alternative to Tangerine tomatoes, but
caution that they haven't tested how much or what kind of
lycopene these varieties contain.
Lycopene belongs to a family of antioxidants called the
carotenoids, which give certain fruits and vegetables their
distinctive colors. Carotenoids are thought to have a number
of health benefits, such as reducing the risk of developing
cancer, cardiovascular disease and macular degeneration.
"The tomato is a wonderful biosynthetic factory for
carotenoids, and scientists are working on ways to enhance the
fruit's antioxidant content and composition," Schwartz
continued.
The findings appear in a recent issue of the Journal of
Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Lycopene is a carotenoid that contains a variety of related
compounds called isomers. Isomers share the same chemical
formula, yet differ in chemical structure. In the case of
tomatoes, the different lycopene isomers play a part in
determining the color of the fruit.
Several years ago, Schwartz and his colleagues discovered the
abundance of several of these isomers, called cis- lycopenes,
in human blood. But most of the tomatoes and tomato-based
products we currently consume are rich in all-trans-lycopene.
"We don't know why our bodies seem to transform lycopene into
cis- isomers, or if some isomers are more beneficial than
others," Schwartz said.
The researchers don't know if tomatoes rich in cis-lycopene
would provide greater health benefits to humans, but the
study's results suggest that tomatoes can be used to increase
both the intake and absorption of the health-beneficial
compounds.
The researchers made spaghetti sauce from two tomato varieties
- tangerine tomatoes, which get their name from their orange
skin and are high in cis-lycopene, and a tomato variety chosen
for its rich beta carotene content.
The tomatoes were grown at an Ohio State-affiliated
agricultural research station in northwestern Ohio. Following
harvest, both tomato varieties were immediately processed into
canned tomato juice and concentrated. Italian seasoning was
added for taste.
The 12 adults participating in the study ate two spaghetti
test meals
- one included sauce made from tangerine tomatoes, while the
other featured sauce made from the tomatoes high in beta
carotene. The participants were asked to avoid tomato and
beta carotene-rich foods for 13 days before eating each
test meal.
Researchers drew blood right before each participant ate
and again every hour or two up to 10 hours after the meal.
They analyzed the blood samples for lycopene and beta
carotene content.
Lycopene absorption from the tangerine tomatoes was 2.5 times
higher than that absorbed from the beta carotene-rich tomatoes
and, Schwartz said, from typical red tomato varieties.
Cis-lycopene levels spiked around five hours after eating the
tangerine tomato sauce, and at this point during absorption
the levels were some 200 times greater than those of
trans-lycopene, which were nearly non-existent. While cis-
lycopene is by far the most abundant isomer in these tomatoes,
they do contain trace amounts of trans-lycopene.
The participants' bodies also readily absorbed beta carotene
from the beta carotene-rich tomatoes.
"Right now, only carrots and sweet potatoes are a more readily
available, richer source of beta carotene," Schwartz said.
"And this carotenoid is a major source of vitamin A for a
large proportion of the world's population. Its deficiency is
a serious health problem in many developing countries.
"Our study showed that a tomato can also increase beta
carotene levels in the blood," Schwartz said. While these
special tomatoes were grown just for this study, the
researchers have pre-commercial lines of both varieties
available.
He conducted the study with Ohio State colleagues David
Francis, an associate professor of horticulture and crop
science; Steven Clinton, an associate professor of hematology
and oncology and human nutrition; Nuray Unlu, a former
postdoctoral researcher in food science; and Torsten Bohn, a
former postdoctoral fellow in food science at Ohio State.
###
Funding for this work was provided by the Ohio Agricultural
and Development Research Center in Wooster; the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's IFAFS program; the National Center
of Research Resources of the National Institutes of Health;
and the National Cancer Institute.
Contact: Steven Schwartz Ohio State University
Press Release, March 7, 2007, Link:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=64157
Deep red tomatoes get their rich color from lycopene, a
disease- fighting antioxidant. A new study, however, suggests
that a special variety of orange-colored tomatoes provide a
different form of lycopene, one that our bodies may more
readily use.
Researchers found that eating spaghetti covered in sauce
made from these orange tomatoes, called Tangerine tomatoes,
caused a noticeable boost in this form of lycopene in
participants' blood.
"While red tomatoes contain far more lycopene than orange
tomatoes, most of it is in a form that the body doesn't absorb
well," said Steven Schwartz, the study's lead author and a
professor of food science and technology at Ohio State
University.
"The people in the study actually consumed less lycopene when
they ate sauce made from the orange tomatoes, but they
absorbed far more lycopene than they would have if it had
come from red tomatoes," he said. "That's what is so dramatic
about it."
The tomatoes used for this work were developed specifically
for the study - these particular varieties aren't readily
available in grocery stores. The researchers suggest that
interested consumers seek out orange- and gold-colored
heirloom tomatoes as an alternative to Tangerine tomatoes, but
caution that they haven't tested how much or what kind of
lycopene these varieties contain.
Lycopene belongs to a family of antioxidants called the
carotenoids, which give certain fruits and vegetables their
distinctive colors. Carotenoids are thought to have a number
of health benefits, such as reducing the risk of developing
cancer, cardiovascular disease and macular degeneration.
"The tomato is a wonderful biosynthetic factory for
carotenoids, and scientists are working on ways to enhance the
fruit's antioxidant content and composition," Schwartz
continued.
The findings appear in a recent issue of the Journal of
Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Lycopene is a carotenoid that contains a variety of related
compounds called isomers. Isomers share the same chemical
formula, yet differ in chemical structure. In the case of
tomatoes, the different lycopene isomers play a part in
determining the color of the fruit.
Several years ago, Schwartz and his colleagues discovered the
abundance of several of these isomers, called cis- lycopenes,
in human blood. But most of the tomatoes and tomato-based
products we currently consume are rich in all-trans-lycopene.
"We don't know why our bodies seem to transform lycopene into
cis- isomers, or if some isomers are more beneficial than
others," Schwartz said.
The researchers don't know if tomatoes rich in cis-lycopene
would provide greater health benefits to humans, but the
study's results suggest that tomatoes can be used to increase
both the intake and absorption of the health-beneficial
compounds.
The researchers made spaghetti sauce from two tomato varieties
- tangerine tomatoes, which get their name from their orange
skin and are high in cis-lycopene, and a tomato variety chosen
for its rich beta carotene content.
The tomatoes were grown at an Ohio State-affiliated
agricultural research station in northwestern Ohio. Following
harvest, both tomato varieties were immediately processed into
canned tomato juice and concentrated. Italian seasoning was
added for taste.
The 12 adults participating in the study ate two spaghetti
test meals
- one included sauce made from tangerine tomatoes, while the
other featured sauce made from the tomatoes high in beta
carotene. The participants were asked to avoid tomato and
beta carotene-rich foods for 13 days before eating each
test meal.
Researchers drew blood right before each participant ate
and again every hour or two up to 10 hours after the meal.
They analyzed the blood samples for lycopene and beta
carotene content.
Lycopene absorption from the tangerine tomatoes was 2.5 times
higher than that absorbed from the beta carotene-rich tomatoes
and, Schwartz said, from typical red tomato varieties.
Cis-lycopene levels spiked around five hours after eating the
tangerine tomato sauce, and at this point during absorption
the levels were some 200 times greater than those of
trans-lycopene, which were nearly non-existent. While cis-
lycopene is by far the most abundant isomer in these tomatoes,
they do contain trace amounts of trans-lycopene.
The participants' bodies also readily absorbed beta carotene
from the beta carotene-rich tomatoes.
"Right now, only carrots and sweet potatoes are a more readily
available, richer source of beta carotene," Schwartz said.
"And this carotenoid is a major source of vitamin A for a
large proportion of the world's population. Its deficiency is
a serious health problem in many developing countries.
"Our study showed that a tomato can also increase beta
carotene levels in the blood," Schwartz said. While these
special tomatoes were grown just for this study, the
researchers have pre-commercial lines of both varieties
available.
He conducted the study with Ohio State colleagues David
Francis, an associate professor of horticulture and crop
science; Steven Clinton, an associate professor of hematology
and oncology and human nutrition; Nuray Unlu, a former
postdoctoral researcher in food science; and Torsten Bohn, a
former postdoctoral fellow in food science at Ohio State.
###
Funding for this work was provided by the Ohio Agricultural
and Development Research Center in Wooster; the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's IFAFS program; the National Center
of Research Resources of the National Institutes of Health;
and the National Cancer Institute.
Contact: Steven Schwartz Ohio State University