Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. In a placebo-controlled study, adding 70mg of lycopene to the diet either as a supplement or through foods demonstrated a 111.5% or 108.5% increase in a type of good cholesterol compared to the control group.
Being overweight (having a body mass of at least 25 kg/m2) or obese (having a body mass index (BMI) of at least 30 kg/m2) comes with a number of significant health risks, including coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon), high blood pressure, stroke, arthritis, and breathing/sleeping problems (1). Increased physical activity and dietary changes are the most recommended ways to maintain a healthy weight. Now a new study (2) suggests that getting enough lycopene through either the diet or supplementation may help with inflammation and cholesterol, both of which can lead to the aforementioned diseases if at elevated levels.
In the study, 54 men and women classified as “moderately overweight” (body mass index of 25 kg/m2) were divided into three groups and instructed for 12 weeks to:
- Consume a lycopene-rich diet (consuming 224-350 milligrams of lycopene per week)
- Consume a control diet (less than 10 mg lycopene per week)
- Consume a control diet but add lycopene supplementation that totaled 70 mg lycopene per week.
Blood samples were taken before and after the study to analyze HDL cholesterol levels as well as the actual makeup of the HDL cholesterol. The researchers specifically wanted to identify how much of the HDL cholesterol consisted of a protein serum amyloid A, known to be an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease (3) and which can displace a protein in HDL cholesterol called apoprotein AI, damaging HDL cholesterol and even contributing to cardiovascular disease (4).
By the end of 12 weeks, those in both lycopene groups saw significant increases in 2 types of HDL cholesterol (HDL2 and HDL3) compared to the placebo group. Specifically, HDL2 levels increased by 122.5% in the lycopene-rich diet (0.40 to 0.89 nanomoles/milligram of protein) and 120% in the lycopene supplement group (0.70 to 1.54 nmol/mg protein) with an 11.5% increase in the placebo group (0.26 to 0.29 nmol/mg protein) (p < 0.001). For HDL3 levels, those in the lycopene-rich diet group saw a 150% increase ( 0.06 to 0.15 nmol mg protein), those in the lycopene supplement group saw a 160% increase (0.05 to 0.13 nmol mg protein) and a 33% increase in the placebo group (0.03 to 0.04 nmol mg protein) (p < 0.001).
What is notable is that the lycopene supplement group produced improvements in HDL2 and HDL3 levels comparable to the lycopene-rich diet group, while having 23.7% lower blood lycopene levels after 12 weeks as the lycopene-rich diet group (0.87 versus 1.14 nanomoles/Liter) (p < 0.001). This suggests that 70 milligrams of lycopene per week may be sufficient to produce significant health benefits.
Regarding serum amyloid A levels in HDL cholesterol, there was a 34.2% decrease after 12 weeks (2.17 to 1.43 ) compared to a 26.9% decrease in the lycopene supplement group (2.16 to 1.58) and a 22.5% increase in the placebo group (1.64 to 2.01) (p = 0.026).
For the researchers, “These results demonstrate that in moderately overweight, middle-aged subjects, increasing lycopene intake leads to changes to HDL2&3, which we suggest enhanced their [heart-healthy] properties. Overall, these results show the heart-protective properties of increased lycopene intake.” However double blind placebo controlled studies should be done to assure that factors like physical activity, body mass index, and calorie intake are not partly responsible for the results.”
Source: “Lycopene intervention reduces inflammation and improves HDL functionality in moderately overweight middle-aged individuals” in the January 2013 issue of the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry.
Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com
References:
- “The Health Effects of Overweight and Obesity” posted on the CDC website.
- McEneny J. Lycopene intervention reduces inflammation and improves HDL functionality in moderately overweight middle-aged individuals. Jou Nutr Biochem 2013; 24: 163-168.
- Ogasawara K, Mashiba S, Wada Y, Sahara M, Uchida K, Aizawa T, et al. A serum amyloid A and LDL complex as a new prognostic marker in stable coronary artery disease. Atherosclerosis 2004;174:349–56.
- Baranova IN, Vishnyakova TG, Bocharov AV, Kurlander R, Chen Z, Kimelman ML, et al. Serum amyloid A binding to CLA-1 (CD36 and LIMPII analogous-1) mediates serum amyloid A protein-induced activation of ERK1/2 and p38 mitogenactivated protein kinases. J Biol Chem 2005;280:8031–40.
