Lycopene the structure of the molecule was determined by 1931. In its natural, all-"trans" form, the molecule is long and straight, constrained by its system of 11 conjugated double bonds. Each extension in this conjugated system reduces the energy required for electrons to transition to higher energy states, allowing the molecule to absorb visible light of progressively longer wavelengths. Lycopene absorbs all but the longest wavelengths of visible light, so it appears red. Plants and photosynthetic bacteria naturally produce all-"trans" lycopene. When exposed to light or heat, lycopene can undergo isomerization to any of a number of "cis"-isomers, which have a
Lycopene food, or as a dietary supplement, and any of these cancers." A 2017 review concluded that tomato products and lycopene supplementation had small positive effects on cardiovascular risk factors, such as elevated blood lipids and blood pressure. A 2010 review concluded that research has been insufficient to establish whether lycopene consumption affects human health. Lycopene has been studied in basic and clinical research for its potential effects on cardiovascular diseases and prostate cancer, although results through 2017 have not changed the prevailing FDA view that evidence of benefit remains inconclusive. Lycopene Lycopene (from the neo-Latin "Lycopersicum", the tomato species) is