Higher Lycopene Intake Linked to Nearly 50 Percent Lower Prostate Cancer Risk: Study
Spain: A new analysis from the PREDIMED cohort has shed light on the potential protective role of lycopene-rich diets in reducing prostate cancer risk among men who already face a heightened likelihood of cardiovascular disease.
The study, published in BMC Medicine, evaluated long-term dietary patterns and cancer outcomes in older adults and found that higher lycopene intake was linked with notably lower prostate cancer incidence.
The research team, led by Ricardo López-Solís from the University of Barcelona’s Polyphenol Research Group, examined whether lycopene—an antioxidant found abundantly in tomatoes and other red fruits—might play a meaningful role in preventing prostate cancer, especially in individuals who share overlapping risk factors for both cardiovascular disease and prostate malignancies.
The prospective cohort analysis included 2,970 men between 55 and 80 years of age who were enrolled in the multicenter PREDIMED trial in Spain. All participants were considered at high cardiovascular risk due to existing metabolic conditions or family history. Dietary intake, including consumption of lycopene-containing foods, was recorded repeatedly over the study period using validated food frequency questionnaires. Prostate cancer diagnoses were captured through medical records and national death registries.
The study led to the following notable findings:
- During an average follow-up of 5.8 years, 104 prostate cancer cases were identified.
- Men with the highest lycopene intake had nearly half the risk of developing prostate cancer compared with those in the lowest intake group.
- Participants in the top quartile had a hazard ratio of 0.46, reflecting a 54% lower risk.
- The association between lycopene intake and prostate cancer risk remained statistically significant.
- A nonlinear pattern was observed, with the strongest protective effect appearing when daily lycopene intake exceeded around 4.9 mg.
- At this higher intake level, the hazard ratio decreased to 0.36, indicating even greater risk reduction beyond this threshold.
While the findings support the potential role of lycopene-rich diets—such as the Mediterranean pattern—in cancer prevention, the authors urged caution in interpretation. They noted that prostate cancer was not the primary outcome of the PREDIMED trial, which limits the strength of causal inferences. Additionally, although statistical adjustments were made, residual confounding remains a possibility, as individuals with higher lycopene intake may also follow healthier lifestyle habits overall.
The study’s relatively short follow-up period for a slow-growing cancer, the modest number of prostate cancer cases, and the inability to analyze differences by cancer stage or aggressiveness were also highlighted as key limitations. Moreover, since the cohort consisted solely of older adults with elevated cardiovascular risk, the results may not apply to younger or healthier men with different dietary patterns.
The investigators emphasized that their findings contribute valuable evidence suggesting that lycopene may be a useful dietary component for prostate cancer prevention, particularly in populations that are already managing cardiovascular concerns. They recommended larger and longer-term studies, as well as mechanistic research, to clarify how lycopene may influence cancer biology and whether cardiovascular status modifies its protective effects.
Reference:
López-Solís, R., Castro-Barquero, S., Donat-Vargas, C. et al. Lycopene intake and prostate cancer risk in men at high cardiovascular risk: a prospective cohort study. BMC Med 23, 627 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-025-04440-0
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