Editing Lycopene (section)

==Diet==
===Consumption by humans===

Absorption of lycopene requires that it be combined with [[bile salts]] and fat to form [[micelle]]s.<ref name=lpi/> Intestinal absorption  of lycopene is enhanced by the presence of fat and by cooking.<ref name=lpi/> Lycopene [[dietary supplement]]s (in oil) may be more efficiently absorbed than lycopene from food.<ref name=lpi/>

Lycopene is not an [[essential nutrient]] for humans, but is commonly found in the diet mainly from dishes prepared from tomatoes.<ref name=lpi/> The median and 99th percentile of dietary lycopene intake have been estimated to be 5.2 and 123&nbsp;mg/d, respectively.<ref name="pmid16046742"/>

===Sources===
{| class="wikitable" table style="border:1px #000000;" cellspacing="0" align="left" style="margin-right: 1em"
|-
|+Dietary sources of lycopene<ref name=lpi/>
|-
! width="100" | Source
! width="150" | mg wet weight
|-
| [[Gac]] aril 
| 2~6 per gram<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Ishida|first1=BK|last2=Turner|first2=C|last3=Chapman|first3=MH|last4=McKeon|first4=TA|title=Fatty acid and carotenoid composition of gac (Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng) fruit|journal=Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry|date=28 January 2004|volume=52|issue=2|pages=274–9|doi=10.1021/jf030616i|pmid=14733508|bibcode=2004JAFC...52..274I }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Gac (Momordica cochinchinensis) Analysis report|url=https://www.volkerkleinhenz.com/presentations/Gac-Analysis-Report.pdf|access-date=2018-04-13|archive-date=2018-04-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180413125442/https://www.volkerkleinhenz.com/presentations/Gac-Analysis-Report.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| Raw [[tomato]]
| 4.6 per [[cup (unit)|cup]]
|-
| Tomato juice
| 22 per cup
|-
| Tomato paste
| 75 per cup
|-
| Tomato [[ketchup]]
| 2.5 per [[tablespoon]]
|-
| [[Watermelon]]
| 13 per wedge
|-
| [[Pink grapefruit]]
| 2 per half grapefruit
|-
|}
[[Fruit]]s and [[vegetable]]s that are high in lycopene include [[autumn olive]], [[gac]], tomatoes, [[watermelon]], pink [[grapefruit]], pink [[guava]], [[papaya]], [[seabuckthorn]], [[wolfberry]] ([[goji]], a berry relative of tomato), and [[rosehip]].<ref name=lpi/> [[Ketchup]] is a common dietary source of lycopene.<ref name=lpi/> Although [[gac]] (''Momordica cochinchinensis'' Spreng) has the highest content of lycopene of any known fruit or vegetable (multiple times more than tomatoes),<ref name="tran">{{cite journal|pmc=4779482|year=2015|last1=Tran|first1=X. T.|title=Effects of maturity on physicochemical properties of Gac fruit (Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng.)|journal=Food Science & Nutrition|volume=4|issue=2|pages=305–314|last2=Parks|first2=S. E.|last3=Roach|first3=P. D.|last4=Golding|first4=J. B.|last5=Nguyen|first5=M. H.|doi=10.1002/fsn3.291|pmid=27004120}}</ref><ref name="Ishida2004">{{Cite journal|vauthors=Ishida BK, Turner C, Chapman MH, McKeon TA |title=Fatty acid and carotenoid composition of gac (Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng) fruit |journal=[[Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry]] |volume=52 |issue=2 |pages=274–9 |date=January 2004 |pmid=14733508 |doi=10.1021/jf030616i |bibcode=2004JAFC...52..274I }}</ref> tomatoes and tomato-based sauces, juices, and ketchup account for more than 85% of the dietary intake of lycopene for most people.<ref name=lpi/> The lycopene content of tomatoes depends on variety and increases as the fruit ripens.<ref>{{cite journal|pmid=26462607|year=2016|last1=Ilahy|first1=R|title=Fractionate analysis of the phytochemical composition and antioxidant activities in advanced breeding lines of high-lycopene tomatoes|journal=Food Funct|volume=7|issue=1|pages=574–83|last2=Piro|first2=G|last3=Tlili|first3=I|last4=Riahi|first4=A|last5=Sihem|first5=R|last6=Ouerghi|first6=I|last7=Hdider|first7=C|last8=Lenucci|first8=M. S.|doi=10.1039/c5fo00553a}}</ref>

Unlike other fruits and vegetables, where nutritional content such as [[vitamin C]] is diminished upon cooking, [[food processing|processing]] of tomatoes increases the concentration of [[Bioavailability|bioavailable]] lycopene.<ref name=lpi/><ref>{{cite journal|url=http://scielo.isciii.es/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0212-16112012000500025&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en|journal=Hospital Nutrition (Madrid)|volume=27|issue=5|year=2012|pages=1542–6|vauthors=Perdomo F, Cabrera Fránquiz F, Cabrera J, Serra-Majem L |title=Influence of cooking procedure on the bioavailability of lycopene in tomatoes|pmid=23478703|doi=10.3305/nh.2012.27.5.5908}}</ref> Lycopene in tomato paste is up to four times more bioavailable than in fresh tomatoes.<ref>{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1002/jsfa.6546| pmid = 24375495| title = Home processing of tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum): Effects onin vitrobioaccessibility of total lycopene, phenolics, flavonoids, and antioxidant capacity| journal = Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture| volume = 94| issue = 11| pages = 2225–33| year = 2014| last1 = Kamiloglu | first1 = S. | last2 = Demirci | first2 = M. | last3 = Selen | first3 = S. | last4 = Toydemir | first4 = G. | last5 = Boyacioglu | first5 = D. | last6 = Capanoglu | first6 = E. | bibcode = 2014JSFA...94.2225K}}</ref> Processed tomato products such as pasteurized tomato juice, soup, sauce, and ketchup contain a higher concentration of bioavailable lycopene compared to raw tomatoes.<ref name=lpi/><ref>{{cite book|last1=Yamaguchi|first1=Masayoshi|title=Carotenoids : Properties, Effects and Diseases|date=2010|publisher=Nova Science Publishers|location=New York|isbn=9781612097138|page=125}}</ref>

Cooking and crushing tomatoes (as in the [[canning]] process) and serving in oil-rich dishes (such as [[spaghetti]] sauce or [[pizza]]) greatly increases assimilation from the digestive tract into the bloodstream. Lycopene is fat-soluble, so the oil is said to help absorption. Gac has high lycopene content derived mainly from its [[seed coat]]s.<ref>{{Cite journal
 | pmid = 12506992
| year = 2002
| last1 = Aoki
| first1 = H
| title = Carotenoid pigments in GAC fruit (Momordica cochinchinensis SPRENG)
| journal = Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry
| volume = 66
| issue = 11
| pages = 2479–82
| last2 = Kieu
| first2 = N. T.
| last3 = Kuze
| first3 = N
| last4 = Tomisaka
| first4 = K
| last5 = Van Chuyen
| first5 = N
| doi = 10.1271/bbb.66.2479
| s2cid = 2118248
| doi-access = free
}}</ref> [[Cara Cara navel orange]]s, and other citrus fruit, such as [[pink grapefruit]]s, also contain lycopene.<ref name=lpi/><ref>{{Cite journal
 | pmid = 18538806
| year = 2008
| last1 = Alquezar
| first1 = B
| title = Regulation of carotenoid biosynthesis during fruit maturation in the red-fleshed orange mutant Cara Cara
| journal = Phytochemistry
| volume = 69
| issue = 10
| pages = 1997–2007
| last2 = Rodrigo
| first2 = M. J.
| last3 = Zacarías
| first3 = L
| doi = 10.1016/j.phytochem.2008.04.020
| bibcode = 2008PChem..69.1997A
}}</ref> Some foods that do not appear red also contain lycopene, e.g., baked beans.<ref name=lpi/> 
When lycopene is used as a food additive (E160d), it is usually obtained from tomatoes.<ref name=lpi/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Li |first1=Lei |last2=Liu |first2=Zhen |last3=Jiang |first3=Hong |last4=Mao |first4=Xiangzhao |title=Biotechnological production of lycopene by microorganisms |journal=Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. |date=2020 |volume=104 |issue=24 |pages=10307–10324 |doi=10.1007/s00253-020-10967-4 |pmid=33097966 |s2cid=225058089 |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33097966/}}</ref>

===Adverse effects===
[[File:Lycopene in DCM.jpg|thumb|right|100px|Test tube containing a dichloromethane solution of lycopene]]

Lycopene is non-toxic and commonly found in the diet, mainly from tomato products.<ref name=lpi/>  There are cases of intolerance or allergic reaction to dietary lycopene, which may cause [[diarrhea]], [[nausea]], stomach pain or cramps, gas, and loss of appetite.<ref name="mayo">{{cite web
| title = Lycopene
| url = http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/lycopene/background/hrb-20059666
| publisher = Mayo Clinic
| date = 2017
| access-date = 29 May 2017
| archive-date = 23 September 2017
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170923043049/http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/lycopene/background/HRB-20059666
| url-status = dead
}}</ref> Lycopene may increase the risk of bleeding when taken with [[anticoagulant]] drugs.<ref name=mayo/> Because lycopene may cause low blood pressure, interactions with drugs that affect blood pressure may occur. Lycopene may affect the [[immune system]], the [[nervous system]], sensitivity to sunlight, or drugs used for stomach ailments.<ref name=mayo/>

[[Lycopenemia]] is an orange discoloration of the skin that is observed with high intakes of lycopene.<ref name="pmid16046742">{{cite journal | vauthors = Trumbo PR | title = Are there adverse effects of lycopene exposure? | journal = The Journal of Nutrition | volume = 135 | issue = 8 | pages = 2060S–1S | year = 2005 | pmid = 16046742 | doi = 10.1093/jn/135.8.2060s| quote = <small>Lycopenemia, characterized by an orange discoloration of the skin, has been observed with high intakes of lycopene-containing foods. One case study reported the incidence of lycopenemia in a 61-y-old woman who had consumed ~2 L of tomato juice daily for several years (10). Although there was evidence of lycopene and fatty deposits in the liver, there was an absence of measurable hepatic dysfunction. After 3 wk of consuming a diet free of tomato juice, the orange discoloration faded.</small>| doi-access = free }}</ref> The discoloration is expected to fade after discontinuing excessive lycopene intake.<ref name="pmid16046742"/>