The Italian Heart Health Secret

If you like pasta, then you know there’s nothing better than homemade marinara sauce over fresh noodles. And real Italian pizza is better than any you’ll have anywhere else.

For many years, scientists have known these rich, delicious dishes contain an “Italian secret” for heart health. A natural compound that’s found in the juicy tomato…

I’m talking about lycopene. Foods like tomatoes are rich in this natural carotenoid. It’s an antioxidant pigment that gives them their bright red color.

Research now shows that lycopene can improve your cardiovascular system, ease asthma, support better moods, bolster bone strength and much, much more.

Help For Heart Disease

A growing number of studies show that lycopene does good things for the heart and arteries. For example, a study out of the University of Cambridge in England demonstrates that a daily lycopene-extract supplement improves the ability of blood vessels to expand and contract in people with heart problems. Those expansions and contractions are crucial for controlling blood flow and blood pressure.

In this double blind placebo controlled test, the British researchers wanted to see if taking seven mg of lycopene a day could directly improve the function of the endothelium – the inner lining of blood vessels that releases substances that control relaxation and contraction. And in this test, the lycopene helped in more than half the patients studied who had heart disease.¹

"We've shown quite clearly that lycopene improves the function of blood vessels in cardiovascular disease patients," says researcher Joseph Cheriyan, MD.

Other studies have shown that lycopene can also lower the risk for strokes.

For instance, a 12-year study in Finland found that in men between the ages of 46 and 65, those with the highest levels of lycopene in their blood were 55 percent less likely to suffer a stroke than those who had the lowest levels. In this test, the researchers also looked at blood levels of other carotenoids like alpha-carotene and beta-carotene but didn't find that any other carotenoid made a difference in stroke risk.²

Lycopene Helps You in Other Ways, Too

Researchers have found that along with doing good things for the cardiovascular system, lycopene can produce plenty of benefits for the rest of your body such as:

• Fighting prostate cancer – Numerous studies suggest that lycopene can defend against prostate cancer. One, in the Journal of Nutrition, found that lycopene blocked the growth of cancer in normal human prostate cells.³
• Improving gum health – A two-week study in Asia found that taking eight mg of lycopene a day helped to heal gums in people suffering from gingivitis, a gum condition causing irritation, redness, bleeding and swelling. The researchers conclude that their results "suggest that lycopene shows great promise as a treatment modality in gingivitis."⁴
• Easing asthma attacks -- Research in Australia found that a lycopene-rich tomato extract may help with asthma by lowering inflammation of the upper respiratory tract. The researchers believe that the western diet, which lacks lycopene and other antioxidant nutrients, may contribute to the rising prevalence of asthma.⁵
• Reinforcing bone health in older women – Tests in Italy demonstrate that lycopene can influence cell activity in bones that limits bone loss in postmenopausal women. Their study found that these epigenetic effects on bone tissue could help prevent osteoporosis.⁶
• Supporting better mental health -- Research at the University of South Carolina shows that having lower levels of lycopene in the blood is linked to a history of attempted suicide. They also found that consuming lycopene and other carotenoids may help improve mental health in at-risk patients.⁷

My takeaway

If you decide to take lycopene supplements, the studies I have seen generally use lycopene capsules that contain seven to eight mg per day. You don’t need a lot to make a difference. Foods rich in lycopene include tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit, papaya and apricot.

Of course, eating tomatoes like the Italians do might be your best bet. Tomatoes contain other natural compounds that along with lycopene support better overall health. It’s important to remember that cooking tomatoes also makes more of its lycopene absorbable by your digestive tract. So, fire up the stove and get that marinara recipe out of the cupboard.