Does lycopene thin your blood?

The researchers suggested that lycopene, in addition to its ability to attack free radicals, may also reduce inflammation and cholesterol, improve immune function, and prevent blood from clotting. All of these may help reduce ischemic strokes, which are caused by clot-caused blockages in blood flow to the brain.

What happens if you have too much lycopene?

When consumed in foods, lycopene is safe to eat for everyone. Eating excessive amounts of lycopene could lead to a condition called lycopenemia, which is an orange or red discoloration of the skin. The condition itself is harmless and goes away by eating a diet lower in lycopene.

What does lycopene do in the body?

Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant with many health benefits, including sun protection, improved heart health and a lower risk of certain types of cancer. Though it can be found as a supplement, it may be most effective when consumed from lycopene-rich foods like tomatoes and other red or pink fruits.

Where are Lycopenes found?

FOOD SOURCES OF LYCOPENE Lycopene is found in red- and pink-hued fruits like tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruits, guava and papaya. In North America, most dietary lycopene comes from tomato products such as ketchup, tomato juice, sauce or paste.

What happens if you have too much lycopene or potassium?

If you eat an abundance of the fruit daily, however, you may experience problems from having too much lycopene or potassium. The consumption of more than 30 mg of lycopene daily could potentially cause nausea, diarrhea, indigestion and bloating, according to the American Cancer Society.

Does lycopene make you tired?

Grapefruit Another important nutrient for sleep is the antioxidant lycopene, as demonstrated in this recent study, which found that people who had consumed more lycopene had less difficulty falling asleep.

Does lycopene lower PSA levels?

A few studies have shown eating lycopene reduces the risk of developing prostate cancer in men with a family history of the disease. More recently, researchers found evidence that eating higher amounts of lycopene can lower PSA levels as well.

What foods have a lot of lycopene?

Unlike most carotenoids, lycopene occurs in a few places in the diet. Besides tomatoes and tomato products, major sources of lycopene, other lycopene-rich foods include watermelon, pink grapefruit, pink guava, and papaya. Dried apricots and pureed rosehips contain relatively large amounts, too.

How long does lycopene stay in your system?

Moreover, it is a carotenoid that is naturally found in tomatoes which acts as an antioxidant (5) and a potential chemo-preventive agent (6) with a singlet-oxygen and free radical scavenging capacity (7). A half-life of about 2–3 days can be considered for it when consumed.

How much lycopene should you take for high blood pressure?

This isn’t nearly enough to reap the antioxidant benefits, as research found those with high blood pressure consuming 12 mg per day of lycopene experienced lower blood pressure levels. If taking lycopene for high blood pressure, 15 mg of a tomato extract (such as LycoMato) daily for six to eight weeks may help.

Can lycopene cause bleeding?

Lycopene may also increase the risk of bleeding when taking certain medications such as aspirin, anticoagulants (blood thinners), antiplatelet drugs, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or naproxen. The same goes for mixing lycopene and herbs that may increase bleeding, like ginkgo biloba.

What are the signs and symptoms of leukopenia?

You probably won’t notice any signs of leukopenia. But if your white cell counts are very low, you may have signs of infection, including: Ask your doctor what to watch for. If you have any symptoms, tell your doctor right away.

What are the benefits of lycopene supplements?

The lycopene in supplements is about as easy for the body to use as lycopene found in food. People are trying lycopene for lowering blood pressure and high cholesterol, for heart disease and cancer, and many other conditions. However, there is no scientific evidence to support many of these uses. How does it work?