| Discuss the following with your doctor and only change your diet or take supplements with your doctors advice in consideration. Lycopene is categorized as a carotenoid, a colorful compound found in red fruits and vegetables. It is one of the strongest antioxidants found in nature and is present in high concentrations in tomatoes, tomato products and several other foods. The mechanism by which lycopene exerts a protective effect against prostate cancer is poorly understood. However, we do know that it quenches free radicals, which are harmful molecules that form in the body as a result of oxidation. They are highly reactive and can cause damage to DNA, RNA, lipids and proteins in normal healthy cells. Free radicals are believed to be involved in the development of cancerous cells. Examples of products containing lycopene include:
Sources of Lycopene
Medical Research/Studies Giovannucci and colleagues studied the dietary lycopene intake of a group of men. They found that men who consumed more than 10 servings of tomatoes and tomato products per week had a 35% lower risk of prostate cancer than men who ate less than 1.5 servings per week. In the same study, the consumption of tomato products also decreased the risk of being diagnosed with advanced or aggressive prostate cancer. In a study at Wayne State University, a pure tomato extract was given to newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients who had chosen surgery as their primary treatment. The researchers hypothesized that lycopene would affect the prostate cancer between the time of diagnosis and the prostatectomy date. Patients taking the lycopene had smaller tumors at the time of prostatectomy. Even further, 73% of the lycopene treated group had organ-confined prostate cancer versus 18% in the untreated group.
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last reviewed on July 2004