CHEM 181 Chapter : woc 1- tomatoes and lycopene.docx

• School: McGill University
• Department: Chemistry
• Course: CHEM 181
• Professor: David Harpp

Document Summary

Lycopene is the compound responsible for the red colour of tomatoes. Cooked tomatoes were more protective than raw tomato or tomato juice (heat releases lycopene) Sauce is made with olive oil, which enhances the absorption of fat- soluble lycopene. Sauce is also a concentrated tomato product, and it provides more. Since tomatoes contain many other compounds as well, researchers at ohio state. University tried to find out if lycopene was the most important one: used rats (good model of human prostate cancer) Caused cancer is 200 rats with a cancer-inducing mix of testosterone and n-methyl-n-nitrosourea. Some rats were fed with diets that contained whole tomato powder while others were fed with rat chow fortified with lycopene (giving them more lycopene than the rats eating tomato) Overall message for humans: we should reduce out calorie intake and eat lots of tomato products (italian study adds that tomato products are good for the heart)