Foods with Lycopene May Reduce Risk of Prostate Cancer

Results from a large study (The Health Professionals Follow-Up Study or HPFS) started in 1986 and eventually comprising more than 47,000 men suggest that the frequent intake of tomato products or lycopene, a carotenoid from tomatoes, is associated with reduced risk of prostate cancer.

In the study, published in the March 6, 2002, issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the researchers analyzed the prostate cancer histories and food choices of the participants in the HPFS study. The results showed that men who ate a minimum of two meals a week that contained tomatoes had a 24-36% reduction in the risk of prostate cancer.

"These most recent findings add support to the notion that a diet rich in tomatoes and lycopene-containing foods, as well as other fruits and vegetables, may reduce the risk of prostate cancer,” said Dr. Edward Giovannucci, of the Harvard School of Public Health (Cambridge, MA, USA).

Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that is thought to protect against cancer by absorbing oxygen-free radicals, which can damage the genetic structure of cells. In an earlier study published in the January 15, 2000, issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers from the University of Auckland (New Zealand) had reported that while vegetables rich in beta-carotene were not protective against prostate cancer, lycopene from tomato-based foods was found to be associated with a small reduction in risk.




Related Links:
University of Auckland
Harvard School of Public Health