Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Highest blood levels of lycopene resulted in the greatest reductions in the following measurements: Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity 6%, Oxidized LDL cholesterol 20%, and C-reactive protein 37% reduction.
Atherosclerosis is defined by the American Heart Association as “the narrowing of the coronary arteries due to fatty build ups of plaque” (1). Research has shown that atherosclerosis is initiated by the presence of inflammation in blood vessels (2) marked by high levels of C-reactive protein (3). Atherosclerosis eventually leads to coronary heart disease, which caused 445,687 deaths in 2005, is the single leading cause of death in America today (1), and costs our healthcare system $448 billion per year (4).
Now a new study (5) has found that lycopene may help blood vessel health. Lycopene is the antioxidant in tomatoes responsible for their red color and shown to help with cellular health. (6) In the study, 264 healthy women between 31 and 75 years of age were divided into three groups based on their blood levels of lycopene (< 0.0342, 0.0342-0.0431, and > 0.0431 millimoles/Liter). The researchers then conducted a test called brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity. This is a marker of blood vessel stiffness, oxidative stress, inflammation and has recently been found to predict heart disease in type 2 diabetics (7).
The researchers found that the middle (0.0342-0.0431 mmol/L) and upper (> 0.0431 mmol/L) groups of blood lycopene levels had brachial-ankle pulse wave velocities that were 6% lower than that in the lowest group (1265 and 1263 vs 1338 centimeters/sec). Those in the middle and upper levels of lycopene also had oxidized LDL cholesterol levels that were 13% and 20% lower, respectively, than those in the lowest lycopene group ((55 and 53 vs 66 units/Liter). Finally, those in the middle and upper lycopene blood levels had C-reactive protein levels that were 37% lower than those in the lowest lycopene group (0.80 vs.1.27 mg/dL).
For the researchers, “This study supports the presence of an independent inverse relationship between circulating lycopene and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity” and that “reduced [levels of oxidized LDL cholesterol] may be one of mediators on the mechanisms how lycopene reduces arterial stiffness.”
Source: Kim, Oh Yoen, et al. “Independent inverse relationship between serum lycopene concentration and arterial stiffness.” Atherosclerosis 208.2 (2010): 581-586.
© 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
Posted September 15, 2009.
References:
- “Cardiovascular Disease Statistics” posted on the American Heart Association website.
- Packard RRS, Libby P. Inflammation in atherosclerosis: from vascular biology to biomarker discovery and risk prediction. Clin Chem 2008; 54:24-38.
- Mora S, Musunuru K, Blumenthal RS. The clinical utility of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in cardiovascular disease and the potential implication of JUPITER on current practice guidelines . Clin Chem 2009 55: 219-228.
- “Cardiovascular Disease at a Glance” posted on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
- Yoe HY. Independent inverse relationship between serum lycopene concentration and arterial stiffness . Atherosclerosis 2009. Published online ahead of print, 13 August 2009.
- Vrieling A. Lycopene supplementation elevates circulating insulin-like growth factor–binding protein-1 and -2 concentrations in persons at greater risk of colorectal cancer Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, Nov 2007; 86: 1456 – 1462.
- Kim HJ. Usefulness of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity as a predictive marker of multiple coronary artery occlusive disease in Korean type 2 diabetes patients Diabetes Res Clin Pract 2009 Jul;85(1):30-4. Epub 2009 Apr 26.
