A healthy red

Tomatoes and lycopene have become closely connected, since about 80% of the cancer-fighting lycopene Americans consume is in processed tomato products, including sauces and ketchup.

The antioxidant lycopene gives foods such as tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit, guava and rose hips their red color. Tomatoes get most of the attention, however, because the other foods haven’t been studied as thoroughly.

But watermelon soon may be getting more notice. Government researchers have found that blood levels of lycopene were as high among volunteers who drank three cups of watermelon juice as those who drank a cup of tomato juice.

In a small study of 23 men and women, researchers found that watermelon consumption raised blood levels of lycopene as well as processed tomato juice, though more watermelon juice was needed to achieve the same result.

However, doubling the dose of watermelon didn’t raise lycopene levels higher than did drinking three cups a day.

If you prefer your watermelon whole, study co-author Beverly A. Clevidence, a researcher at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s nutrition research center in Beltsville, Md., says about 2 2/3 cups of diced watermelon yields about 20 milligrams of lycopene. Fat aids lycopene absorption, so eat watermelon with a little fat or after a meal that includes fat.

“Have it for dessert,” Clevidence suggests. And the redder the watermelon the better.

This study was published in the April issue of the Journal of Nutrition. Ten percent of the funding was provided by the National Watermelon Promotion Board, but it had no control over the study design or publication of the results.