Lycopene is used in the Men’s Formula of the CardioTrim health supplement line.

Lycopene is a carotenoid (like beta-carotene) that is responsible for giving tomatoes their red color. Although there are about 600 carotenoids, lycopene is the most abundant form found in the U.S. diet (beta-carotene is #2). More than 80% of the lycopene consumed in the U.S. comes from tomato sauce, pizza and ketchup. The lycopene content of tomatoes can be influenced dramatically during the ripening process and large differences are noted between various types of tomatoes (e.g. red have more lycopene than yellow varieties). The bioavailability of lycopene is increased following cooking – so processed tomato products such as ketchup, tomato juice and pizza sauce have more bioavailable lycopene than do fresh tomatoes.

About a year ago, the H.J. Heinz Company (the tomato ketchup people) launched a consumer awareness campaign about lycopene. The ads were accompanied by the headline "Lycopene may help reduce the risk of prostate and cervical cancer" – not bad for a bottle of ketchup. Because lycopene is a potent antioxidant and seems to inhibit growth of cancer cells, it is logical that a higher intake of this carotenoid may indeed be associated with reduced incidence of cancer. In addition, lycopene may also help prevent heart disease through this same antioxidant mechanism via an inhibition of oxidative damage to LDL cholesterol. Finally, lycopene is known to play a role, along with beta-carotene, in protecting the skin from the damaging effects of ultra-violet light radiation.

The theory behind lycopene’s cancer preventive benefits is logical. Indeed, several epidemiologic studies have shown that consumption of foods high in lycopene (tomatoes, pizza sauce and tomato juice) is associated with lower rates of prostate cancer and plasma lycopene levels are clearly reduced, by about 40-50%, in smokers whose lungs are exposed to a high degree of oxidative damage. Dietary supplements containing 20 – 40 mg of lycopene have been shown to reduce DNA damage in white blood cells – probably due to the reduction in oxidative damage to DNA and lipoproteins. It is important to remember, however, the recent history concerning lycopene’s carotenoid cousin, beta-carotene, which was associated with reduced disease incidence when consumed in foods, but appeared less effective, and in some cases, detrimental, when consumed as isolated high dose dietary supplements.

In a study of patients suffering from prostate cancer, lycopene supplements have been shown to slow tumor growth. In subjects consuming the lycopene supplement, prostate tumors shrunk and produced reduced levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA), a marker compound produced by active prostate cancer cells. The results of several prospective cohort studies suggest that lycopene-rich diets are associated with significant reductions in the risk of prostate cancer, particularly more aggressive forms. In a prospective study of more than 47,000 health professionals followed for eight years, those with the highest lycopene intake had a risk of prostate cancer that was 21% lower than those with the lowest lycopene intake. Those with the highest intakes of tomatoes and tomato products (accounting for 82% of total lycopene intake) had a risk of prostate cancer that was 35% lower and a risk of aggressive prostate cancer that was 53% lower than those with the lowest intakes. Similarly, a prospective study of Seventh Day Adventist men found that those who reported the highest tomato intakes were at significantly lower risk of prostate cancer and a prospective study of U.S. physicians found that those with the highest plasma lycopene levels were at significantly lower risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer. However, dietary lycopene intake was not related to prostate cancer risk in a prospective study of more than 58,000 Dutch men. While there is considerable scientific interest in the potential for lycopene to help prevent prostate cancer, it is not yet clear whether the prostate cancer risk reduction observed in some epidemiological studies is related to lycopene itself, other compounds in tomatoes, or other factors associated with lycopene-rich diets.

Learn More