#Lycopene Found in Tomato Improves Pancreas function in Diabetics in Vivo, According to Studies

Kyle J. Norton

Diabetes occurs when cells in the pancreas die off or receptor sites clogged up by fat and cholesterol. In some cases, diabetes is also caused by allergic reactions of cells in the immune system.

The pancreas is an oblong flattened gland in the digestive and endocrine system located in the abdomen. By secreting pancreatic juice to the small intestine, the pancreas helps to break down carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids. Traditional Chinese medicine views the pancreas as a vital organ that is responsible for the absorption of foods' qi and nutrients before passing them to other organs to nourish our bodies.

The effects of the pancreas on diabetes
* Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is the most common form of diabetes found in children is a condition in which the pancreas does not produce any insulin. The most common form of type 1 diabetes is caused by genetic mutation and some viruses.

As of today, there is no cure for type 1 diabetes. Treatment is focusing on managing blood sugar levels with insulin injection, diet, and lifestyle change.

* Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of acquired diabetes in adulthood is a chronic condition that affects the body metabolized glucose. In other words, most cases of type 2 diabetes are results of insulin receptors clogged-up by fat and cholesterol, leading to resist the effects of the hormone insulin that regulates the movement of sugar into your cells.


* Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that can occur during pregnancy, affecting between 3% and 20% of pregnant women.

Women with gestational diabetes are at an increased risk of type 2 diabetes in later life.

According to statistics, diabetes is one of the most common diseases in the US. Approximately 10% or 29.1 million people in the United States have diabetes, accompanied by 8.1 million that are undiagnosed and unaware of their condition.

About 1.4 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed in the United States every year. More than one in every 10 adults who are 20 years or older has diabetes.

Lycopene is a phytochemical found in tomatoes in the class of carotenoids, a natural pigment with no vitamin A activity found abundantly in tomatoes and other red fruits and vegetables, such as red carrots, watermelons, and papayas,

Tomatoes provide about 80% of the lycopene in the world's diet. In plants, lycopene protects the host against excessive photodamage and performs various functions in photosynthesis.

On finding a potential compound for the treatment of diabetes, researchers examined the role of lycopene (L) on the changes occurring in estrogen receptor (ER) α-positive cells and oxidative stress markers in the pancreas of experimentally induced adult diabetic rats.

According to the results from a single dose of 50 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ), t5o induce diabetes in rats, divided into four groups: Control + corn oil, control + lycopene, diabetic + corn oil, and diabetic + lycopene.

Diabetic groups showed a higher number of proliferating Ki-67 positive cells without affecting apoptotic cell number compared to control.

In lycopene treatment groups
* Lycopene first time treated group showed with the presence of ER α-positive cells around the islets did not have any effect on any of the parameters aforementioned in diabetic groups.

* Increasing the dose and/or the duration of lycopene demonstrated the antioxidant effects on the pancreas of diabetic rats observed by lowering oxidative stress

Taken together, long-term lycopene intake may be considered supplements for the improvement of pancreas function in the diabetics, pending on the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of lycopene in the form of supplements should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

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Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the Karate GB Daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as the international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

Sources
(1) Changes in the Pancreas in Experimental Diabetes and the Effect of Lycopene on These Changes: Proliferating, Apoptotic, and Estrogen Receptor α Positive Cells by Sandikci M1, Karagenc L1, Yildiz M. (PubMed)
(2) Changes in rat ovary with experimentally induced diabetes and the effects of lycopene on those changes in Yildiz M1, Sandikci M. (PubMed)