Effects of a high monounsaturated fat, tomato-rich diet on serum levels of lycopene

Objective: To compare the effect of a modified fat, monounsaturated-fat-enriched diet and a high-carbohydrate low-fat diet with high lycopene content on the serum concentration of lycopene and other carotenoids. Design: A randomised crossover dietary intervention study. Setting: Melbourne, Australia - Healthy free-living men. Subjects: A total of 13 healthy males between the age of 20 and 70 y, recruited via advertisements in newspapers and university newsletter. Intervention: A randomised dietary intervention with two diets of 14 days each. The two diets were - (1) high-fat monounsaturated-fat-enriched (MUFA) and (2) high-carbohydrate low-fat (HCLF). Both the diets contained the same basic foods and a controlled carotenoid content high in lycopene. Results: A significant increase in serum total lycopene occurred, by 126% on the MUFA diet (P