Compound or practice · Supplement
Lycopene
The tomato carotenoid with modest prostate and cardiovascular signals — better from food than pills.
- Overall grade
- Grade C
- Last revised
- 2
- graded outcomes
- 0
- references listed
A structured monograph in Prometheus's bundled library. Its grades are the monograph's own reading of the evidence, not a peer-reviewed review.
2 at grade C — 2 graded rows
What is known
Each outcome with its grade (how strong the evidence is, A to D), the size of the effect where the entry records one, and how often studies agree.
- Prostate cancer risk (observational)Evidence grade C
Food > supplement
Smallmixed
- Cardiovascular markersEvidence grade C
Modest
Smallmixed
What is uncertain
Read off the same rows as above. Nothing here is added that the entry does not itself record.
- Thin evidence: Prostate cancer risk (observational) (grade C); Cardiovascular markers (grade C).
The evidence in words
What it is
Lycopene is the red carotenoid in tomatoes, studied for prostate and cardiovascular health.
How it works
A potent antioxidant carotenoid; cooked/processed tomato (with fat) is far more bioavailable than raw.
What the evidence shows
Observational data link tomato/lycopene intake to lower prostate-cancer and cardiovascular risk, but supplement trials are inconsistent. Whole-food tomato products look better than isolated pills.
How to use it
Prefer cooked tomato products with fat; supplements 10–30 mg if used.
Safety & interactions
Safe; harmless skin coloration at very high intake.
Bottom line
Eat cooked tomatoes with olive oil rather than buying pills. Modest, mostly observational benefits.
How it is used
As the entry records it, from the studies it summarises. Not a recommendation for you — doses that suit a trial population may not suit you.
- Food-first
- Cooked tomato with fat; 10–30 mg if supplementing.
Related reading
Entries that share this one's tags or conditions.
- Lycopene for Cardiovascular markersEvidence grade C — ModestEvidence grade C
- Lycopene for Prostate cancer risk (observational)Evidence grade C — Food > supplementEvidence grade C
- Lycopene: dosage and how to take itCooked tomato with fat; 10–30 mg if supplementing.Evidence grade C
- Lycopene: side effects, safety & interactionsSafe; harmless skin coloration at very high intake.Evidence grade C
Sources
This entry lists no references of its own.
Last revised . A grade is this entry's reading of the evidence, not medical advice.