An antioxidant found naturally in a number of foods, including tomatoes, lycopene is said to boost your cancer defense. Some people take lycopene supplements to reduce their cancer risk, as well as prevent conditions like diabetes and atherosclerosis. While there's no proof that lycopene supplements can fight cancer, some research suggests that increasing your lycopene intake may aid in cancer prevention.
The Science Behind Tomatoes and Cancer Prevention
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), there's not enough scientific evidence to determine whether the lycopene in tomatoes can protect against any of the following types of cancer:
- bladder cancer
- breast cancer
- colorectal cancer
- lung cancer
- ovarian cancer
- pancreatic cancer
- prostate cancer
Still, some studies show that adding more lycopene to the diet may lower cancer risk in certain groups of people. In a 2004 study from Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, for instance, scientists looked at data on 900 men and found that higher blood levels of lycopene were linked to reduced prostate cancer risk among older participants and those without a family history of prostate cancer.
In addition, some studies indicate that a diet high in lycopene (especially from tomatoes) may help prevent ovarian cancer in premenopausal women and reduce risk of pancreatic cancer. There's also some evidence that a lycopene-rich diet may lower lung cancer risk in people who don't smoke.
On the other hand, a 2005 study from Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention concluded that high blood levels of lycopene are not linked to a reduced risk of breast cancer in middle-aged and older women. Looking at data on 508 women with breast cancer and 508 breast-cancer-free women, the study's authors found that those with a higher dietary intake of lycopene weren't any less likely to develop breast cancer.
Should You Use Lycopene to Fight Cancer?
Due to a lack of supporting research, lycopene supplements cannot be recommended in the prevention of cancer. What's more, little is known about the safety of taking lycopene supplements for longer than eight weeks. It's also crucial to note that using lycopene supplements as a substitute for standard cancer care can have serious health consequences.
To up your lycopene intake, try adding lycopene-rich foods like tomatoes, tomato sauce, watermelon, pink grapefruit, guava, and apricot to your diet. If you're still considering the use of lycopene supplements in prevention of cancer (or for any other health purposes), talk to your doctor before you begin taking the supplements.
Sources:
Cramer DW, Kuper H, Harlow BL, Titus-Ernstoff L. "Carotenoids, antioxidants and ovarian cancer risk in pre- and postmenopausal women." Int J Cancer. 2001 Oct 1;94(1):128-34.
Haseen F, Cantwell MM, O'Sullivan JM, Murray LJ. "Is there a benefit from lycopene supplementation in men with prostate cancer? A systematic review." Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 2009;12(4):325-32.
Michaud DS, Feskanich D, Rimm EB, Colditz GA, Speizer FE, Willett WC, Giovannucci E. "Intake of specific carotenoids and risk of lung cancer in 2 prospective US cohorts." Am J Clin Nutr. 2000 Oct;72(4):990-7.
National Institutes of Health. "Lycopene: MedlinePlus Supplements" [link: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/554.html]. January 2011.
Nkondjock A, Ghadirian P, Johnson KC, Krewski D; Canadian Cancer Registries Epidemiology Research Group. "Dietary intake of lycopene is associated with reduced pancreatic cancer risk." J Nutr. 2005 Mar;135(3):592-7.
Sesso HD, Buring JE, Zhang SM, Norkus EP, Gaziano JM. "Dietary and plasma lycopene and the risk of breast cancer." Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2005 May;14(5):1074-81.
Wu K, Erdman JW Jr, Schwartz SJ, Platz EA, Leitzmann M, Clinton SK, DeGroff V, Willett WC, Giovannucci E. "Plasma and dietary carotenoids, and the risk of prostate cancer: a nested case-control study." Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2004 Feb;13(2):260-9.
