When you look at carotenoid research, it will always attribute benefits to a family of carotenoids working together to produce incredible results. If that’s so, then why do you imagine marketers of health products sell you supplements that give you one or maybe two family members at the most?
You’ve seen it happen. Labels at the health food stores suddenly scream, “Now with Lutein!â€? New products pop up promising “Lycopene for prostate health.â€? There are even supplements on the market claiming to be a “complexâ€? with just two carotenoids. Sounds like an inferiority complex to us, because the research always indicates a family of carotenoid nutrients is best.
For example, UCLA researchers recently found that not only was lycopene important for prostate health, but so were other carotenoids like zeaxanthin, lutein and beta-cryptoxanthin found in tomatoes and other foods. (Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, Vol. 10:749-756)
A German study pointed out that lycopene AND other carotenoids in tomatoes reduce the risk of colorectal cancers. (AJCN, Vol. 78:1219-1224)
It’s the family of nutrients that makes the difference. And, a review of all the carotenoid research would clearly support this fact.
Actually, research published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute strongly suggests that isolated lycopene supplements are ineffective at reducing prostate cancer risk. The study supports the prevailing theory that whole food based carotenoids, what you find in tomatoes and Carotenoid Complex are many times more effective. (J. of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 95, #21:1578-1586 )
As a matter of fact, men taking just a lycopene supplement had the same rate of prostate cancer as those in the placebo group.
This is why I recommend to get your carotenoids from whole foods. Whole foods from the human food chain contain a balanced ratio of all the carotenoid family members. Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, but they also have some of the lesser known family members. And, just because health magazines don’t write about them, it doesn’t mean they’re less valuable to your health.
Here are some carotenoid rich fruits and vegetables:
- carrots
- red bell peppers
- tomatoes
- spinach
- apricot
- strawberry
- pear
