Wednesday, October 5, 2011

What Is the Link Between Lycopene and Prostate Cancer?

Lycopeneis a bright red carotene and carotenoid pigment and phytochemical found in tomatoes and other red fruits and vegetables, such as red carrots, watermelons and papayas (but not strawberries or cherries). Although lycopene is chemically a carotene, it has no vitamin A activity.

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Lycopene is not an essential nutrient for humans, but is commonly found in the diet, mainly from dishes prepared from tomatoes. When absorbed from the stomach, lycopene is transported in the blood by various lipoproteins and accumulates in the liver, adrenal glands, and testes.

Because preliminary research has shown an inverse correlation between consumption of tomatoes and cancer risk, lycopene has been considered a potential agent for prevention of some types of cancers, particularly prostate cancer. However, this area of research and the relationship with prostate cancer have been deemed insufficient of evidence for health claim approval by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Antioxidant properties and potential health benefits

Lycopene may be the most powerful carotenoid quencher of singlet oxygen, being 100 times more efficient in test tube studies of singlet-oxygen quenching action than vitamin E, which in turn has 125 times the quenching action of glutathione (water soluble). Singlet oxygen produced during exposure to ultraviolet light is a primary cause of skin aging.Given its antioxidant properties, substantial scientific and clinical research has been devoted to a possible correlation between lycopene consumption and general health. Early research suggested some amelioration of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, and even male infertility.

There have been several studies produced that analyzed the anti-cancer properties of lycopene, although research has been primarily inconclusive. Evidence for lycopene’s benefit was strongest for cancers of the lung, stomach, and prostate gland. Lycopene is not modified to vitamin A in the body so it can be accessible for other benefits such as antioxidation. The absence of the beta-ionone ring structure for lycopene increases its antioxidant action. Lycopene is also the most efficient oxygen and free radical quencher and is the prime carotenoid in plasma and other tissues. Lycopene is also found in lung tissue and is valuable in protecting lymphocytes from NO2 damage found in lung cancer.Lycopene also may help decrease the impact of oxidative load from pylori infections in the stomach. The tomato-derived carotenoid lycopene may reduce risk of cancer by activating special cancer preventive enzymes such as phase II detoxification enzymes, which remove harmful carcinogens from cells and the body.After extensive review reported in November 2005, the United States Food and Drug Administration has cast significant doubt on the potential for lowering disease risk, showing no link between lycopene and prevention of prostate cancer, although it is suggestive that eating whole tomatoes does provide benefit, perhaps because as yet undiscovered compounds (other than lycopene) are the beneficial agents.

Lycopene is a red pigment that is found in many red-colored fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes, papayas, and watermelon. It is an antioxidant that has been studied for years for its potential cancer prevention properties.

In particular, lycopene has long been the focus of researchers hoping to find a dietary supplement that can reduce the risk of prostate cancer.


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What Research Has Shown About Lycopene and Prostate Cancer.

Unfortunately, there have been mixed results regarding the benefits of lycopene with regard to cancer prevention. Several early studies seemed to show that lycopene could partially inhibit the growth of certain types of cancer cells. These studies were considered to be very preliminary in nature, but much hype surrounding the use of lycopene resulted from their publication.At the same time, however, the FDA did say that there appeared to be some association between eating whole red tomatoes and reduced risk of developing prostate cancer. It was thought that there was likely another agent in tomatoes, rather than lycopene, that resulted in the decreased risk.

What Do Doctors Say About Lycopene?

Today, most doctors do not actively advise men to take lycopene as a means to reducing their risk of developing prostate cancer. Nearly all doctors advocate for the consumption of a balanced, healthy diet that could include whole red tomatoes.