Lycopene and stroke:
Lycopene is a red colored carotenoid phytonutrient found in tomatoes. A prospective population study on over one thousand Finnish men followed for over 12 years compared subjects with the highest quartile of serum lycopene level to those with the lowest quartile of serum lycopene level, and noted that subjects with higher levels had a 59% lower risk of ischemic stroke measured by hazard ratio (87). Lycopene at a dose of 15mg for 8 weeks was noted to reduce markers of oxidative stress, increase plasma superoxide dismutase activity, reduce lymphocyte DNA comet tail length (a measurement of DNA damage), improve endothelial function by 23%, decrease in C-reactive protein (CRP) significantly, lower systolic blood pressure, and improve markers of inflammation compared to placebo (88).