Lycopene Supplements Decrease Prostate Cancer
A study published in the Fall 2004 issue of Journal of
Medicinal Food demonstrated that
Lycopene supplements
decreased the proliferation of cancer cells.
STUDY: Many studies on cancer now test apoptosis, the
natural elimination of harmful cancer-causing cells. In this
study, researchers treated LCNaP human prostate cancer cells
with a lycopene supplement to determine whether lycopene would
induce apoptosis to eliminate the cells or even simply suppress
their growth. Treatment included 0.1, 1 and 5 uM doses of
lycopene followed by examination after 6, 24, and 48 hours. The
scientists also looked for changes in the cells' cycle, to
identify any slowing-down or speeding-up of cell growth due to
the lycopene.
FINDINGS: Researchers saw a 31 percent inhibition in
cancerous cell growth in lycopene-treated cells when compared to
the placebo-treated cells after 48 hours of treatment with the 1
uM lycopene formulation. The maximum inhibitory effect, however,
was seen with the 5 uM dose, at each time interval. Apoptosis
was present at the 5 uM formulation at all time points and was
heightened during the 24- and 48-hour treatments. There were no
changes seen in the cell cycle of the placebo-treated groups
whereas the scientists observed a dramatic 16 percent reduction
in cancerous cell presence in the lycopene-treated cells during
a significant cell-growth cycle (S-phase).
The results indicate that lycopene supplements decreased the
number of cancer cells likely by increasing apoptosis and
slowing cancer cell growth cycles. These findings suggest that
supplements containing lycopene may have cancer-fighting
abilities.
DISCUSSION/BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Several scientific
studies have shown that men who frequently consume tomato-based
products like pizza and pasta sauce have a lower risk for
developing prostate cancer than those who eat fewer tomato-based
products. Many of these studies have attributed such benefits to
the lycopene found in those foods. Drs. Eun-Sun Hwang and
Phyllis Bowen at the University of Illinois initiated the
present study to isolate the mechanism of action of lycopene
from that of other nutrients also found in tomato-based
products.
Lycopene is considered one of the most potent antioxidants
available in the food supply. Lycopene is a natural plant
pigment that provides foods such as tomatoes, pink grapefruit,
watermelon and guava with their natural red hues. Aside from
food sources, lycopene is also available as a single-entity
dietary supplement, in formulas designed for men, in many
one-a-day multivitamins and in some heart health formulations.
Source:
Hwang ES, Bowen PE. Cell cycle arrest and induction of
apoptosis be lycopene in LNCaP Human Prostate Cancer Cells. J
Med Food 2004: 7(3); 284-289.
Key concepts: lycopene, prostate cancer
