Objectives:
Prostate cancer (PCa) is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Many epidemiological studies have investigated the association between prostate cancer and lycopene, however, results have been inconsistent. Therefore, this review article (meta-analysis) has been conducted.
Does lycopene reduce prostate cancer risk?
Study design:
This review article included 42 studies including 43,851 cases of prostate cancer reported from 692,012 participants.
Results and conclusions:
The investigators found dietary intake of lycopene was significantly associated with a reduced prostate cancer risk of 12% [RR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.78-0.98, p = 0.017].
The investigators found circulating concentrations of lycopene were significantly associated with a reduced prostate cancer risk of 12% [RR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.79-0.98, p = 0.019].
The investigators found sensitivity analyses within the dose-response analysis further revealed a significant linear dose-response for dietary lycopene and prostate cancer risk such that prostate cancer decreased by 1% for every additional 2 mg of lycopene consumed [p = 0.026].
The investigators found prostate cancer risk decreased by 3.5 to 3.6% for each additional 10 μg/dL of circulating lycopene in the linear and nonlinear models, respectively [p-linear = 0.004, p-non linear = 0.006].
The investigators found no association between lycopene and advanced prostate cancer. However, there was a trend for protection against prostate cancer aggressiveness [RR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.55-1.00, p = 0.052].
The investigators concluded that higher dietary and circulating lycopene concentrations reduce prostate cancer risk. This was accompanied by dose-response relationships for dietary and circulating lycopene. Further studies are required to determine the mechanisms underlying these associations.
Original title:
Increased dietary and circulating lycopene are associated with reduced prostate cancer risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis by Rowles JL, Ranard KM, […], Erdman JW Jr.
Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28440323
Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on lycopene consumption and cancer right here.