GRE® Reading Comprehension Practice

Tomatoes & Lycopene

You may have heard that tomatoes and processed tomato products like tomato sauce and canned tomatoes protect against some types of cancer. The cancer-preventing properties of tomato products have been attributed to lycopene. It is a bright red pigment found in tomatoes and other red fruits and is the cause of their red color. Unlike other fruits and vegetables, where nutritional content such as vitamin C is diminished upon cooking, processing of tomatoes increases the concentration of lycopene. Lycopene in tomato paste is four times more than in fresh tomatoes. This is because lycopene is insoluble in water and is tightly bound to vegetable fiber. Thus, processed tomato products such as pasteurized tomato juice, so up, sauce, and ketchup contain the highest concentrations of lycopene. Cooking and crushing tomatoes as in the canning process and serving in oil-rich dishes such as spaghetti sauce or pizza greatly increase assimilation from the digestive tract into the bloodstream. Lycopene is a fat-soluble substance, so the oil is said to help absorption to a great extent.

1. According to the passage, it is true that lycopene ----.

A) can only be found in processed tomato products
B) loses its cancer-preventing property when the tomato is processed
C) lowers the risk of having cancer only when it is consumed together with vitamin
D) is absorbed by the body more easily when accompanied by the oil
E) is a pigment which is solved quickly in water

2. It can be understood from the passage that as far as the lycopene intake is concerned ----.

A) lycopene hardly offers any protection against diseases such as cancer
B) one can get the highest amount of lycopene through eating fresh tomatoes
C) there is a correlation between the lycopene consumption and the prevention of some cancer types
D) there have been no reported side effects or toxicity associated with intake
E) tomato products contain high concentrations of lycopene and fat

3. It can be understood from the passage that ----.

A) lycopene is what gives some fruits their color
B) no credible evidence has been found to support an association between lycopene intake and a reduced risk of cancer
C) processed tomato products include the lowest concentrations of lycopene
D) there are several health problems that may result from consuming a great deal of lycopene
E) unlike the popular belief, fat doesn't help the absorption of lycopene in the body

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