Correlation between Lycopene Intake and Blood Pressure in Healthy Adults from Celaya, Mexico

Aims: To identify if there is a correlation between lycopene intake and blood pressure levels in healthy adults of Celaya. Study Design: Cross-sectional, observational, analytical study. Place: All students registered at a public university in Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico. Methodology: To measure blood pressure, a humeral digital baumanometer with adult bracelet (Rossmax MG150f) was used. The measurement was performed three times with a two-minute interval and the average systolic and diastolic blood pressure was obtained. The daily intake of lycopene was evaluated with a questionnaire of the frequency of consumption of meals. The µg of lycopene were estimated with software related to the frequency of consumption of meals. Descriptive statistics were used for all variables. To identify the correlation and possible linear relationship between lycopene intake and blood pressure, Pearson r was calculated, linear regression equation, t-test, and P-value and Confidence Intervals at 95%. Results: We included 446 participants (74.28% women, 25.78% men; between 18-51 years of age). The average systolic blood pressure was 108.30 mmHg, while the average diastolic blood pressure was 71.07 mmHg. The mean daily intake of lycopene was 6477.38 µg. However, there was no correlation or lineal relationship between lycopene intake and the measurement of systolic blood pressure (P=.93) and diastolic blood pressure (P=.5). Conclusion: No correlation was found between daily intake of lycopene and blood pressure (P> .05) in this adult sample from Celaya, Mexico. Studies should be conducted with a different way of determining the intake or level of lycopene in the body.