Cancer Cure Now

Lycopene shows special promise in preventing and treating prostate cancer, . A study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Ohio State University on prostate cancer in rats found that feeding the animals tomato powder(13 mg lycopene/kg) had the greatest protective effect against prostate cancer, and that supplements of much higher levels of isolated lycopene (161 mg lycopene/kg) were of less benefit, though still better than the control group which received no tomatoes or lycopene.

The proportions of rats dying of prostate cancer was 62% in the tomato group, 72% in the lycopene group, and 80% in the control group. Dietary restriction also increased survival. 13

In another study, thirty-two patients with localized prostate adenocarcinoma consumed tomato sauce-based pasta dishes for 3 weeks (approximately 30 mg of lycopene/day) before their scheduled radical prostatectomy.

Prostate tissue was obtained for biopsy before the lycopene supplementation began, and compared to tissue resected at the time of the prostatectomy. Examination of tissue from the resected tumors showed a decrease in tumor biomarkers, increased tumor cell apoptosis (cell death) and decreased DNA damage.14

Dutch researchers found that a low-dose combination of vitamin E and lycopene extended the lifespans of mice innoculated with human prostate cancer cells and suppressed tumor growth by 73% after 42 days, but that high doses of lycopene or vitamin E by themselves had no effect.

15 However, other scientists reviewing the research feel that lycopene by itself has been shown in other studies to be effective by itself, though it can be potentiated by vitamin E. 16,17