Tomatoes and lycopene in the athletes' diet.

Laza, Valeria

Unlike other groups of food, tomatoes have not only a nutritional value, but they also contain a large group of secondary components (such as lycopene), non-nutritive, which give them the extraordinary organoleptic diversity and benefic pharmacological qualities. While eating fruits and vegetables raw is more nutritional, cooking sweet tomatoes increases the amount of lycopene that our body can absorb. Because of the antioxidant activity, consuming tomatoes may help to prevent or treat certain health conditions, including high cholesterol, heart disease and certain types of cancer. Moreover, in sportsmen, a diet rich in tomatoes juice has a potential antioxidant effect and may significantly reduce the serum concentration of 8-oxo-dG (8-Oxo-2′-deoxyguanosine), a sensitive marker of oxidative stress. Also, tomatoes can help ease fatigue from exercise, by lowering TGF-ss, a well-known indicator of exercise-related fatigue, a type of cytokine, a protein molecule used specifically for intercellular communication.

TOMATOES; LYCOPENE; ATHLETES; DEOXYGUANOSINE; CHOLESTEROL; NUTRITION

Palestrica of the Third Millennium Civilization & Sport, 2014, Vol 15, Issue 1, p72

1582-1943

Academic Journal