Nutraceuticals and nootropics for anti-aging

Intriguing actions of beta-carotene and lycopene shown in cancer, cardiovascular, athletic, and DNA studies

Carotenoids are highly colored substances in plants that have antioxidant actions when eaten by animals. They are widely studied by medical researchers for their potential as anti-cancer agents, and are thought to have other applications stemming from their ability to reduce the damage done to the body by free radicals.

Beta-carotene, lycopene, and lutein are among the best known of the carotenoids. Recent studies continue to turn up evidence supporting their value as supplements, both for people with specific ailments, as well as for people who want to prevent the development of free-radical-based diseases.

Researchers at Tufts University report that subjects who were given “a daily dose of mixed carotenoids (beta-carotene, lutein, and lycopene; 4 mg each) … showed significantly lower endogenous DNA damage than at baseline” whereas those given a placebo continued to suffer DNA damage at the normal rate.¹ Similar effects were obtained by using 12 mg of any of the three individual carotenoids.

Physical exercise is known to increase the body’s production of damaging free radicals. Evolution has provided the body with a set of antioxidant substances that neutralize these free radicals, but during exhaustive exercise, the antioxidants become depleted, allowing free radicals longer periods to ravage the body’s tissues. A research group at the Salut Universitat de les Illes Balears has now shown that supplementation with 500 mg/day vitamin E, plus 30 mg/day beta-carotene, plus 1 g/day vitamin C significantly improves the body’s ability to maintain adequate levels of key antioxidants during intense exercise.²

Cigarette smokers face a heightened risk of gastric cancer because components of tobacco alter or damage certain cancer-protective genes in the digestive tract. But Tufts University scientists have shown, in experiments with ferrets, that lycopene supplements prevent these genetic changes.³

Carotenoids are also receiving attention as possible treatments for cardiovascular disease. At the University of the Negev researchers recently conducted a clinical trial of a high-lycopene tomato extract in patients with high blood pressure. Over a period of eight weeks, lipid peroxidation products (a marker for oxidative stress and cell membrane destruction) were seen to decrease by 17%, systolic blood pressure decreased by about 7% and diastolic blood pressure by about 5%.^4,5

References

[1]  Modification of lymphocyte DNA damage by carotenoid supplementation in postmenopausal women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Jan;83(1):163-9.

[2]  Response of blood cell antioxidant enzyme defences to antioxidant diet supplementation and to intense exercise. Eur J Nutr. 2005 Dec 22

[3]  Lycopene Supplementation Prevents Smoke-Induced Changes in p53, p53 Phosphorylation, Cell Proliferation, and Apoptosis in the Gastric Mucosa of Ferrets. J Nutr. 2006 Jan;136(1):106-11.

[4]  Tomato extract helps reduce blood pressure NutraIngredients website

[5]  Natural antioxidants from tomato extract reduce blood pressure in patients with grade-1 hypertension: a double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study. Am Heart J. 2006 Jan;151(1):100.

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LifeLink carries lycopene in 10 mg softgels, and beta-carotene in 15 mg (25000 i.u.) softgels