Lycopene Is a Rising Star of Health BenefitsLycopene Protects
Skin, Heart, and More f you plan to spend much time outdoors
this summer, you might want to make sure that tomatoes figure
prominently in your diet. So look forward to eating plenty of
tomatoes and dishes made with tomato sauce, drinking some tomato
juice, having a bowl of steaming hot tomato soup (better for you
than the delicious cold tomato soup gazpacho), and topping it
all off with a big wedge of watermelon. Why should you eat these
specific foods? Well, for starters, they are loaded with
lycopene. You already knew that lycopene is good for prostate
health, but now there's a new and unexpected angle: according to
a recent report by European researchers, lycopene protects your
skin from damage caused by solar ultraviolet radiation. LYCOPENE
IS A POWERFUL ANTIOXIDANT Lycopene is a natural carotenoid that
has received much attention lately because of its potent
antioxidant activity. Carotenoids are common in the plant world
and are responsible fo