Lycopene is a pigment found in some plant foods that gives tomatoes, watermelon and pink grapefruit their characteristic red or pink color. Lycopene is an extremely beneficial molecule for health.
Health benefits of lycopene
1. Lycopene may protect against some types of cancer
Many studies show that lycopene can slow the growth of breast and prostate cancers by limiting tumor growth.
Men who consumed at least two servings of lycopene-rich tomato sauce per week were 30% less likely to develop prostate cancer than those who consumed less than one serving per month of tomato sauce.
2. May support heart health
Lycopene may help reduce the risk of developing heart disease or premature death. It can reduce free radical damage, total and “bad” LDL cholesterol levels and increase “good” HDL cholesterol.
After a 10-year study, researchers noted that individuals with metabolic diseases who had high blood lycopene levels had up to a 39% lower risk of premature death.
3. May support eye health
Lycopene can prevent or delay the formation of cataracts and reduce your risk of macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in older adults.
4. May reduce pain
Lycopene may help reduce neuropathic pain, a type of pain caused by nerve and tissue damage.
5. May protect against sunburn
Lycopene can protect against the harmful effects of the sun. A daily intake of 8-16 mg from foods or supplements has been reported to help reduce the intensity of skin redness by 40-50% after UV exposure. However, it should be noted that the protection it provides against UV damage is limited.
6. Lycopene may support your brain health
Lycopene’s antioxidant properties may help prevent seizures and memory loss in age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
7. May contribute to bone health
The antioxidant effect of lycopene can slow the death of bone cells, strengthen bone structure and help keep bones healthy and strong.
Lycopene-rich foods
The most important sources are tomatoes and tomato products. In addition, watermelon, dried apricots, rose hips and pink grapefruit are among the foods that contain lycopene.
Apart from commonly consumed vegetables and fruits, a little-known wild fruit is also very rich in lycopene. Autumn olive fruit contains 7 to 17 times more lycopene than the same amount of tomato. (For more detailed information about autumn olive fruit, see Autumn Olive Fruit; Characteristics and Health Benefits)
Unlike many nutrients, lycopene does not lose its nutritional properties when heat treated. Processed tomato products (paste, pasteurized tomato sauce, soup, etc.) contain more lycopene than unprocessed fresh tomatoes. When cooked or crushed tomatoes are served with meals rich in fat (such as pasta with tomato paste), lycopene can pass more readily from the digestive system into the bloodstream.
As of today, there is no recommended daily intake. However, intakes between 8-21 mg per day appear to be quite beneficial from existing studies.
- 58 mg per 100 grams of autumn olive fruit,
- Between 0.85 – 13.6 mg per 100 grams of tomato,
- 20 – 23 mg in a spoonful of tomato paste,
- 4.0 – 5.0 mg in a spoonful of ketchup,
- 4.77 mg in 100 grams of watermelon,
- 100 grams of pink grapefruit contains 0.75 mg.
Note: This article is intended solely for general informational purposes. It does not constitute medical advice or personalized nutritional guidance. Nutritional needs may vary from person to person. Always consult a healthcare professional or a registered dietitian before making any dietary changes.
References
Raymond, J. L., & Morrow, K. (2023). Krause ve Mahan Besin ve Beslenme Bakım Süreci (16. baskı; G. Akbulut, Çev. Ed.). Nobel Tıp Kitabevleri.
Aksoy, M. (Ed.). (2022). Beslenme Biyokimyası (7. baskı). Ankara Nobel Tıp Kitabevleri.
Sencer, E., & Orhan, Y. (2005). Beslenme. İstanbul Medikal Yayıncılık.
Saldamlı, İ. (Ed.). (2021). Gıda Kimyası. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Yayınları.
Story, E. N., Kopec, R. E., Schwartz, S. J., & Harris, G. K. (2010). An Update on the Health Effects of Tomato Lycopene. Annual Review of Food Science and Technology, 1, 189–210.
Balali, A., Fathzadeh, K., Askari, G., & Sadeghi, O. (2025). Dietary intake of tomato and lycopene, blood levels of lycopene, and risk of total and specific cancers in adults: a systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Frontiers in Nutrition, 12, 1516048.
Nam, Y.-E., Hwang, I.-G., & Jang, H.-H. (2026). Role of lycopene from tomato on cardiovascular risk: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of intervention studies. Food & Function, 17(2), 622–630.
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Halil İbrahim Akgül
Halil Ibrahim Akgul, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Food Engineering at Bayburt University, where he works in the Division of Food Sciences within the Faculty of Engineering. He received his B.Sc. in Food Engineering from Akdeniz University in 2010, followed by an M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in Food Engineering from Atatürk University in 2015 and 2020, respectively. His formally recognised academic fields are Food Sciences and Engineering, Food Technologies, Dairy and Dairy Products Technology, and Food Microbiology.
Dr. Akgul has more than fifteen years of professional, research, and academic experience in food science. Between 2011 and 2013, he worked as the food engineer responsible for operations at the Pilot Dairy and Bread Factory of Atatürk University’s Directorate of Agricultural Enterprises. This industrial experience, combined with his subsequent academic research, gave him extensive practical and scientific knowledge of milk processing, dairy production, food quality, hygiene, and product development.
His research is primarily focused on milk and dairy products, dairy microbiology, starter cultures, lactic acid bacteria, exopolysaccharides, butter technology, and the physicochemical, microbiological, sensory, and nutritional properties of foods. His studies have examined the quality and fatty-acid composition of traditional butter, aroma formation in butter produced with different starter cultures, raw-milk quality, the characterisation and antioxidant activity of bacterial exopolysaccharides, traditional dairy products such as çökelek and karın kaymağı, colostrum powder, and the use of fruit-derived ingredients in ice cream production.
His academic record includes peer-reviewed research articles published in national and international journals, including Mljekarstvo, Acta Scientiarum Technology, the Journal of Food Safety and Food Quality, the International Journal of Food Engineering, the Atatürk University Journal of Agricultural Faculty, and ATA Food Journal. Four of the research articles currently listed in his university profile were published in SCI-Expanded-indexed journals. He has also contributed to twelve national and international conference papers and presentations covering dairy products, food microbiology, butter quality, fatty-acid composition, starter cultures, exopolysaccharide-producing bacteria, colostrum, traditional foods, and functional ice-cream formulations.
Dr. Akgul has participated as a researcher or adviser in eleven completed scientific and applied research projects. These projects have addressed the modernisation of pilot dairy-processing facilities; the production and quality characteristics of colostrum powder; the physicochemical and microbiological quality of butter and raw milk; the identification of exopolysaccharide-producing lactic acid bacteria; the development and production optimisation of starter cultures for mould-ripened cheese; the standardisation of traditional dairy products; and the use of sloe berry and persimmon fibre in ice-cream production.
His teaching experience spans undergraduate, associate-degree, and graduate education. The courses he has taught include Food Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Fermented Dairy Products Technology, Butter Production and Processing Technology, Healthy Living and Nutrition, Organic Agriculture and Food, Popular Science, Digital Literacy, and Information Technologies. Through these courses, he combines fundamental food chemistry and engineering principles with dairy technology, nutrition, scientific literacy, and the practical communication of scientific knowledge.
He is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Gıda ve Sağlık, a multilingual digital publication devoted to food, nutrition, health, food chemistry, food microbiology, and culinary science. Through this platform, he draws upon his academic background, teaching experience, research activity, and practical knowledge of food production to present scientifically grounded information in a detailed and accessible form for an international readership.