Lycopene: Tomatoes, Prostate and Heart Research

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Lycopene is the red carotenoid in tomatoes. Eating tomatoes is different from taking a lycopene pill, and most of the large-scale findings below come from observational studies of foods and blood levels, which cannot prove that a supplement works. The NCCIH says the current evidence does not support antioxidant supplements for preventing cancer. [1] If you are being treated for cancer, tell your oncology team before taking any antioxidant supplement; see antioxidants and cancer and integrative care during cancer treatment.

Prostate cancer

1. Does eating more lycopene or tomatoes go with less prostate cancer?

   Observational association, small and mixed

   A 2013 meta-analysis of prospective studies found higher lycopene intake versus lower had an odds ratio of 0.93 (0.86 to 1.01) for prostate cancer, and higher blood lycopene 0.97 (0.88 to 1.08). The authors suggested tomato may play a modest role. [2] A 2015 analysis of 26 studies found higher intake showed only a trend overall (P = 0.078) but a lower risk after removing one study. [3] A 2025 analysis found a pooled risk ratio of 0.99 (0.97 to 1.00) for dietary lycopene. [4]

2. Do lycopene supplements change PSA (a prostate blood marker)?

   Biomarker only; no effect seen

   A meta-analysis of 6 randomized trials found no significant difference in PSA versus control (-0.12 ng/ml, range -0.62 to 0.38). [5]

3. Do lycopene supplements prevent or treat prostate cancer?

   Insufficient evidence

   Proper evidence not found: we searched PubMed for randomized trials of lycopene and prostate cancer and found small biomarker studies, not trials of cancer prevention or survival.

Other cancers and overall cancer

A 2025 analysis of 119 prospective studies found higher lycopene intake linked to a 5% lower overall cancer risk and higher blood levels to 11% lower. [4] This describes people who eat tomatoes and have higher blood levels, not a result of giving supplements. Claims that lycopene "fights cancer" are not supported by randomized trials in the sources we read.

Heart and circulation

1. Heart disease risk in observational studies

   Observational association

   A meta-analysis of 14 observational studies found higher lycopene exposure linked to lower cardiovascular disease risk (risk ratio 0.83, 0.76 to 0.90). [6]

2. Risk factors in trials

   Biomarker only; promising but limited

   A meta-analysis of 21 trials of tomato products and lycopene found lower LDL cholesterol with tomato products and lower systolic blood pressure (-5.66 mmHg) with lycopene supplements; other outcomes were not significantly affected. [7]

3. Heart attacks and strokes in trials

   Insufficient evidence

   Proper evidence not found: we searched PubMed for randomized trials of lycopene supplements on heart events and did not find one in the sources we read. The observational review itself calls for randomized trials. [6]

Foods, cooking and absorption

Tomato foods are covered on the tomatoes page. Studies describe how preparation changes lycopene absorption:

• In a crossover trial of 12 healthy adults, a sauce rich in cis-lycopene (made by heat processing) gave a higher blood response than a sauce rich in all-trans lycopene. [8]
• In a crossover study, two types of tomato sauce raised blood lycopene, more with strained purée than with rustic purée. [9]

These are blood measures in small studies.

Amounts

No official intake figure (RDA, adequate intake or upper limit) for lycopene is described in the sources we read, and the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements could not be read this session. Amounts in studies are not advice: the 2015 analysis described a threshold between 9 and 21 mg a day of dietary lycopene linked to lower prostate cancer risk in observational data; [3] a meta-analysis of lycopene trials on IGF-1 (a growth hormone marker) noted subgroup findings at 15 mg a day or more. [10] In the sauce trial, one sauce contained 32.5 mg lycopene per 100 g and the other 26.4 mg. [8]