Lycopene

 
Gac has the highest content of lycopene found in any fruit or vegetables according to a USDA study. However Gac is rare outside its native region in Asia, and tomatoes and tomato-based sauces, juices, and ketchup account for more than 85% of the dietary intake of lycopene for most people.
Lycopene is not merely a pigment. It is a powerful antioxidant that has been shown to neutralize free radicals, especially those derived from oxygen, thereby conferring protection against prostate cancer, breast cancer, atherosclerosis, and associated coronary artery disease.
In addition, preliminary research suggests lycopene may reduce the risk of macular degenerative disease, serum lipid oxidation, and cancers of the lung, bladder, cervix, and skin.
Humans cannot produce lycopene and must ingest fruits, absorb the lycopene, and process it for use in the body.
Although best known as an antioxidant, both oxidative and non-oxidative mechanisms are involved in lycopene's bioprotective activity. Lycopene's configuration enables it to inactivate free radicals. Because free radicals are electrochemically imbalanced molecules, they are highly aggressive, ready to react with cell components and cause permanent damage. Oxygen-derived free radicals are the most reactive species. These toxic chemicals are formed naturally as by-products during oxidative cellular metabolism.
Lycopene is the most predominant carotenoid in human plasma, present naturally in greater amounts than beta-carotene and other dietary carotenoids. This perhaps indicates its greater biological significance in the human defense system.
Its level is affected by several biological and lifestyle factors. Lycopene is also found to concentrate in the adrenal, liver, testes, and prostate.
Research shows that lycopene can be absorbed more efficiently by the body after it has been processed into juice, sauce, paste, or ketchup. In fresh fruit, lycopene is enclosed in the fruit tissue. Therefore, only a portion of the lycopene that is present in fresh fruit is absorbed. Processing fruit makes the lycopene more bioavailable by increasing the surface area available for digestion. More significantly, the chemical form of lycopene is altered by the temperature changes involved in processing to make it more easily absorbed by the body. Also, because lycopene is fat-soluble (as are vitamins, A, D, E, and beta-carotene), absorption into tissues is improved when oil is added to the diet.