The news that tomatoes could prevent prostate cancer
sounded too good to be true, and apparently it was.
Lycopene, found mainly in tomatoes and tomato products, had little
impact on prostate cancer risk in a new study from the National
Cancer Institute and Seattle's Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research
Center.
Early research suggesting a protective role for lycopene spurred
great commercial and public interest in the antioxidant in the late
1990s.
But subsequent studies have been either contradictory or
inconclusive, Fred Hutchinson assistant professor and researcher
Ulrike Peters, PhD, MPH, says.
The new research, led by Peters, is one of the largest and most
rigorously designed trials ever to examine the issue. And the
lycopene findings were unequivocal.
"It would be great if it were true. [Eating tomatoes and tomato
products] would be a cheap and easy way to lower prostate cancer
risk, and it would be a great public health message," Peters says.
"Unfortunately, it's not that easy."
Colorful Nutrients
Just as the similar nutrient beta-carotene makes carrots
orange, lycopene is responsible for the bright red color
of tomatoes. The two compounds are among the pigments synthesized
by plants and are known as carotenoids.
The latest study involved 28,000 men between the ages of 55 and 74
participating in a larger, nationwide cancer screening trial. Blood
samples were taken from all study participants at enrollment, and
blood levels of lycopene, beta-carotene, and other carotenoids were
measured.
The men also completed questionnaires assessing their diet,
lifestyle, and overall health.
During up to eight years of follow-up, 1,320 cases of prostate
cancer were diagnosed among the men in the study.
There was no significant difference in blood lycopene levels among
the men who developed prostate cancer during the follow-up and
those who did not.
However, beta-carotene was associated with an increased risk of
aggressive prostate cancer.
The researchers found that men with the highest blood beta-carotene
levels had a much higher risk of developing aggressive prostate
cancers.
Peters calls the finding surprising.
"We are not sure if this was a real effect, or one that was due to
chance," she says. "We do know [from other studies] that
very high doses of beta-carotene seem to increase lung
cancer risk in smokers."
The results do not support the use of lycopene,
beta-carotene, or other carotenoids in prostate cancer prevention,
the researchers write.
Focus on Diet, Not Pills
So what can be said about the influence of diet and lifestyle on
prostate cancer risk? Not much, says Peters.
There is growing evidence that obesity increases a
man's risk for the disease and some suggestion that a healthy diet
may be protective. But neither association has been proven.
American Cancer Society nutritional epidemiologist Marji
McCullough, PhD, says it is increasingly clear that cancer
prevention efforts should focus more on healthy diets and
less on single nutrients like lycopene and
beta-carotene.
"Single nutrients don't always give you the big picture," she says.
"We saw that a few years ago in the beta-carotene studies."
Researchers thought taking beta-carotene would help prevent
lung cancer in smokers, but they ended up finding more
cancers in the smokers who took the antioxidant supplements.
McCullough says the message from those studies and this one is that
until more is known, individual carotenoids should not be taken in
high doses in supplement form.
"I would recommend that people try to get their carotenoids and
other nutrients from the foods they eat," she says. "That ensures
that they are getting the nutrient in its natural form along with
the other nutrients in those foods."
