Lycopene

Lycopene Benefits For Eye Health

Did you know that lycopene is a phytonutrient that's responsible for the bright colour of foods like tomatoes, guava, watermelon and pink grapefruit? Beyond its colouration, lycopene is a potent and unique antioxidant that offers distinct benefits to the eyes, brain, and heart and helps protect your body's cells and tissues from disease. Lycopene is found in fruits and vegetables but is especially abundant in tomato products, including fresh tomatoes, tomato sauce, ketchup, and tomato juice. In fact, 1 cup of fresh tomatoes supplies roughly 4 to 10 mg of lycopene. This is why lycopene supplements are typically derived from the tomato plant – Solanum Lycopersicum, which has been shown to possess powerful antioxidant properties.

Lycopene supplements offer whole-body antioxidant protection by helping protect your body from oxidative stress-associated conditions. These conditions include heart disease, diabetes, neurodegeneration and abnormal cell division and growth. Lycopene supplements may be especially beneficial for eye health by helping combat free-radical damage to your eye's delicate tissues and preserve optimal vision. In fact, one study found that lycopene helped reduce the effects of oxidative stress on lenses affected with cataracts. In addition, another review demonstrated that lycopene supplementation may help prevent age-related eye conditions like macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss in the elderly population.

Lycopene Benefits

• Clinically Proven to Reduce the Risk of Macular Degeneration And Other Eye Diseases
• Helps Preserve Vision
• Fights Free Radical Damage
• Neuroprotector
• Protects The Eyes, Lungs And Arteries

Lycopene Benefits For Vision Health

Lycopene is often recommended to protect the eyes, skin and brain from age-related oxidative damage, to maintain optimal eye health, preserve vision, and help guard against age-related vision loss associated with macular degeneration, cataracts and other eye conditions. Lycopene supplementation may also help reduce oxidative damage associated with beta-amyloid plaque accumulation in the brain, making it a powerful brain protector. Indeed, researchers showed that lycopene protects Alzheimer’s-affected brain cells from oxidative stress. Therefore supplementation may be an effective way to help prevent the onset of neurodegenerative conditions.

Lycopene Supplement Benefits

Lycopene supplements are widely available in tablets, capsules, liquid gels, powders, and liquids, as well as fun gummy formats for those who are tired of swallowing pills. Lycopene supplements may be purchased in many different potencies – typically in the 10 to 20 mg range, with a recommended dosing anywhere from 10 to 60 mg daily. 

Final Thoughts

Lycopene supplements come either in isolated form featuring lycopene from tomato extract or in antioxidant combination blends featuring myriad antioxidant and other supportive nutrients that work synergistically to offer robust free radical scavenging properties to the body. 

Because lycopene is a fat-soluble antioxidant, it's essential to take your supplement with a fat-containing meal or snack to boost its absorption. Many lycopene supplements come in a convenient oil base for this very reason; these supplements can be taken with or without a fat-containing meal/snack without affecting absorption.