Lycopene is the natural chemical that gives tomatoes their red hue and is also found in watermelon, pink grapefruit and apricots. Lycopene is an antioxidant that helps repair the damage done to cells by environmental and other stresses. Many people take lycopene supplements to help prevent cancer, but its effectiveness is unproven. Lycopene may cause some side effects and may pose risks for some people. Talk to your doctor before taking lycopene.
Uses
The most promising use of lycopene is to prevent prostate cancer and cancers of the lung and stomach, according to the American Cancer Society. Prostate cancer prevention is probably the most studied use of lycopene, and so far the evidence has been conflicting. Lycopene is also sometimes used to prevent breast cancer, bladder cancer, ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, pancreatic cancer and colon cancer. There is not enough scientific evidence about these uses to know if lycopene works. Lycopene is also being studied as a method of preventing heart disease, macular degeneration and cataracts, but it is too soon to tell whether lycopene has any benefit for these uses.
Evidence
The lycopene found in supplements can be absorbed and used by the body about as well as the lycopene found in foods, according to Medline Plus. But much of the research on the benefits of lycopene has not been based specifically on supplements. Instead, researchers looked at lycopene in the diet, usually from tomatoes, which are a rich source of other antioxidants, vitamins and nutrients. This means researchers cannot tell whether any benefits they've found are due specifically to lycopene, because the effect could be caused by other nutrients, according to the American Cancer Society.
Side Effects
Lycopene rarely causes side effects, but there are a few reports of diarrhea, nausea, stomach pain, gas, vomiting, indigestion, bloating and appetite loss. If you have an allergy to tomatoes you might want to avoid lycopene supplements in case they trigger an attack.
Warnings
If you already have prostate cancer, you should avoid taking lycopene because there is some preliminary research that indicates it might worsen your condition, according to Medline Plus. If you are undergoing treatment for cancer, talk to your doctor before taking lycopene, as its antioxidant properties might interfere with your treatment. Also, if you are pregnant or nursing, avoid lycopene supplements, since they have not been studied well enough to know if they are safe, though lycopene from food is probably not a problem. Lycopene may have been involved in a death from serious bleeding in a cancer patient, but it is unknown whether lycopene caused the problem.
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