Researchers performed a systematic review using 8 randomized controlled trials with lycopene to determine whether or not it may prevent either benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) or prostate cancer. It was determined by the authors that there was a variable degree of quality in the design of the studies and that evidence was not strong enough to support the use of lycopene for prevention of BPH or prostate cancer. (16)
A prospective study interpreted data from 49,898 men ages 40-75 who were part of the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. The subjects answered questions at regular intervals about lifestyle and dietary habits from 1986 until and including 2010. The men who consumed more lycopene, lower amounts of alcohol, lower fat intake, less coffee, but more fruit, vegetables, and fiber were found to have a 28% lower risk of all types of prostate cancer and a 53% lower risk of dying from prostate cancer determined by hazard ratios. The study compared the highest quintile of lycopene intake (about 13,400 mcg per day) with the lowest quintile of lycopene intake (about 3200 mcg per day) in men who had one or more negative PSA testing result. Higher angiogenesis is associated with more aggressive tumors. Men diagnosed with prostate cancer who previously provided fixed tumor tissue showed that the highest quintile of lycopene intake had biomarkers in the tumors suggestive of less angiogenesis. Researchers also determined that men who consumed a higher lycopene intake in the early phase of the study had a lower risk of prostate cancer than those with lycopene intake later in the study. (17)