Pets that have eaten processed foods and having an inactive, and or stressful lifestyle are just some of the ways we encounter free radicals: molecules that attack cells and that can potentially harm their DNA. Antioxidants, found abundantly in fruits and vegetables, can help reverse and possibly even prevent free radical damage. Lycopene is the most powerful carotenoid quencher of singlet oxygenlycopene has a singlet-oxygen-quenching ability twice as high as that of beta-carotene (vitamin A relative) and ten times higher than that of alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E relative). One non-oxidative activity is regulation of gap-junction communication between cells. Lycopene participates in a host of chemical reactions hypothesized to prevent carcinogenesis and atherogenesis by protecting critical cellular biomolecules, including lipids, proteins, and DNA. Lycopene is a bright red carotenoid pigment, a phytochemical found in tomatoes and other red fruits. Lycopene is the most common carotenoid in the human body and is one of the most potent carotenoid antioxidants. Carotenoids are the red, orange and yellow coloring substances in plants and animals.

Some seven hundred different carotenoids have been isolated from plants and animals. Typical pet diets are nearly devoid of these important compounds. The major carotenoids in the body include: beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, cryptoxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin and lycopene. Various studies show that lycopene makes up at least 50 percent of the caroteniods in the body, amplifying its importance. These carotenoids are specifically broken down by the body, often during the process of absorption into the bloodstream from the small intestine. They make their way to specific tissues and organs where they have been shown to protect against the type of oxygen damage that can harm your pets DNA. Natural tomato lycopene, as found in Harmony™, not only includes lycopene but all the natural nutrients found in the tomato, and contains, in addition to lycopene, other phytonutrients such as phytoene, phytofluene, tocopherols and beta-carotene. These phytonutrients act in synergy with lycopene Lycopene differs from nutrients in other fruits and vegetables, where nutritional content such as vitamin C is diminished upon cooking, processing of tomatoes increases the concentration of bioavailable lycopene. Lycopene in tomato paste is four times more bioavailable than in fresh tomatoes. Thus hydrated tomatoes contain the highest concentrations of bioavailable lycopene. Because lycopene is so insoluble in water and is so tightly bound to vegetable fiber, the bioavailability of lycopene is increased by our hydration process. Cooking and crushing tomatoes (as in the hydrating process) and serving in oil-rich solution greatly increases assimilation from the digestive tract into the bloodstream oil encourages intestinal absorbtion and results in a two-to-threefold rise in plasma lycopene concentrations,”.  Lycopene is fat-soluble, so the oil is said to help absorption. Lycopene (see chemical structure), a carotenoid in the same family as beta-carotene, is what gives tomatoes, pink grapefruit, apricots, red oranges, watermelon, rosehips, and guava their red color. Lycopene is not merely a pigment. It is a powerful antioxidant that has been shown to neutralize free radicals, especially those derived from oxygen, thereby conferring protection against prostate cancer, mamory cancer, atherosclerosis, and associated coronary artery disease. It reduces LDL (low-density lipoprotein) oxidation and helps reduce cholesterol levels in the blood. In addition, preliminary research suggests lycopene may reduce the risk of macular degenerative disease, serum lipid oxidation, and cancers of the lung, bladder, cervix, and skin. The chemical properties of lycopene responsible for these protective actions are well-documented. Lycopene is a phytochemical, synthesized by plants and microorganisms but not by animals. It is an acyclic isomer of beta-carotene. This highly unsaturated hydrocarbon contains 11 conjugated and 2 unconjugated double bonds, making it longer than any other carotenoid. As a polyene, it undergoes cis-trans isomerization induced by light, thermal energy, and chemical reactions. Lycopene obtained from plants tends to exist in an all-trans configuration, the most thermodynamically stable form. Animals cannot produce lycopene and must ingest fruits, absorb the lycopene, and process it for use in the body. In animal plasma, lycopene is present as an isomeric mixture, with 50% as cis isomers.