Lycopene

Lycopene is a bright red pigment that is naturally found in the human liver, serum (blood), adrenal glands, lungs, prostate, colon, and skin at higher levels than other similar pigments

 In animal studies, lycopene has been found to have antioxidant effects and may also block cancer cell growth. However, there is still controversy over whether it has these effects in humans.

Many studies suggest that eating lycopene-rich foods or having high lycopene levels in the body may be linked to reduced risk of cancer, heart disease, and age-related eye disorders. However, measures of lycopene intake have been based on eating tomatoes, not on the use of lycopene supplements. Since tomatoes also contain other nutrients, such as vitamin C and potassium, the potential benefits of lycopene alone are still unclear.

Lycopene deficiency is not considered a medical condition. There is a lack of evidence on whether increasing low lycopene levels may benefit health.

Related terms

All-E-lycopene, all-trans-lycopene, carotenoids, cis-lycopene, lactolycopene, Lycobeads®, Lyc-O-Pen®, Lycopersicon, Lycopersicon esculentum, Lycoplus, LycoVit®, MF Afragil®, Profluss, prolycopene, psi, psi-carotene, solanorubin, tangerine tomatoes, tetra-cis-lycopene, tomato, tomato juice, tomato oleoresin, tomato paste, trans-lycopene, Z-lycopene.

Select combination products: Lyc-O-Mato®, LycoRed®.

Note: Many studies have looked at the effects of mixed-ingredient products containing lycopene, including Lyc-O-Mato® and LycoRed® (both manufactured by LycoRed Natural Products Industries Ltd., Beer-Sheva, Israel).

 According to the manufacturer, LycoRed® and Lyc-O-Mato® are lycopene-rich supplements containing lycopene and other nutrients in tomatoes, including beta-carotene.

 Although the effects of lycopene alone may not be determined from studies that use these mixed-ingredient products, information about the safety and effectiveness of these products is included in this patient monograph due to the wide availability of studies that use them.