High Lycopene Level Reduces Risk of Advanced Prostate Cancer
A newly published European study indicates taht men with the highest blood levels of lycopene are 60% less likely to develop advanced prostate cancer, compared with men who have the lowest levels of the phytochemical.* Lycopene is a carotenoid compound abundantly present in tomatoes.
The study followed more than 137,000 men from eight European countries for approximately six years. Blood levels of vitamin A, various forms of vitamin E, and several carotenoids, including lycopene, were assessed for nearly 1,000 subjects who developed prostate cancer, and a comparable group of control subjects.
High blood concentrations of both total carotenoids and lycopene alone were associated with a 65% and a 60% reduction, respectively, in risk of developing the advanced form of prostate cancer. In this study, carotenoids did not appear to reduce the overall risk of developing prostate cancer.
— Dale Kiefer
* Key Tj, Appleby NE, Allen NE, et al. Plasma carotenoids, retinol, and tocopherols and the risk of prostate cancer int he European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Sep;86(3):672-81
