About the Cover
It is likely that the tomato has its origin on the Pacific coast of South America. Unfortunately, as with other indigenous fruits eaten by the peoples in the area, the knowledge of its horticultural role was lost with the coming of the Europeans. Tomatoes, in many varieties, are now eaten universally. Lycopene is the most abundant carotenoid in tomatoes. Increased lycopene levels have been associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease and various types of cancer. While tomato and tomato product consumption decreases oxidative stress, the role of purified lycopene as an antioxidant remains unclear. Devaraj et al. (pp. 267-273) have found that purified lycopene is bioavailable and was shown to decrease DNA oxidative damage and urinary 8-OHdG at a high dose. The cover image, taken at Marché Beauveau, Place d’Aligre, Paris, France, is reproduced with permission under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation license, Version 1.2 or any later version.
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Copyright © 2008 by the American College of Nutrition.
