Everyone should try to acquire lycopene from the diet because of its potential health benefits and if you can’t, supplementing ~10mgs/day offers a viable solution. Lycopene is the most effective carotenoid at quenching the free radical singlet oxygen, and the intake of lycopene is associated with a significantly lower risk for prostate cancer, a leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Lycopene may also protect against heart disease and other cancers. Lycopene gives tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables (watermelon, carrots, pink grapefruit, papaya, etc.) their red color.
The intake of lycopene from supplements also increases the level of lycopene in humans. Conclusions from a growing collection of placebo-controlled trials suggest that consumption of lycopene (either as a dietary supplement or in the form of processed tomatoes) can reduce DNA damage and may have beneficial effects on prostate cancer. Tomatoes are one of the best food sources of lycopene; however, Lycopene is more bio-available from processed tomato products such as ketchup, tomato juice and pizza sauce than the fresh, whole food.