Lycopene epidemiology

GiovANNUcci E (1999) Tomatoes, tomato-based products, lycopene, and cancer review of the epidemiologic literature , J Natl Cancer Inst, 99, 317-31. 

Carotenoids and prostate cancer — Numerous epidemiological studies including prospective cohort and case-control studies have demonstrated the protective roles of lycopene, tomatoes, and tomato-derived products on prostate cancer risk other carotenoids showed no effects. " In two studies based on correlations between plasma levels or dietary intake of various carotenoids and prostate cancer risk, lycopene appeared inversely associated with prostate cancer but no association was reported for a-carotene, P-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, or p-cryptoxanthin. - Nevertheless, a protective role of all these carotenoids (provided by tomatoes, pumpkin, spinach, watermelon, and citrus fruits) against prostate cancer was recently reported by Jian et al. ... 

Carotenoids and urino-digestive cancers — On the whole, findings from epidemiological studies did not demonstrate a protective role of carotenoids against colorectal, gastric, and bladder cancers. Indeed, most prospective and case-control studies of colorectal cancer showed no association with dietary intake or plasma level of most carotenoids. - Only lycopene and lutein were shown to be protective against colorectal cancer. Otherwise, findings from the ATBC study s showed no effect of P-carotene supplementation on colorectal cancer. 

Epidemiological data on carotenoids and cerebral infarcts or strokes indicate a protective effect of P-carotene and lycopene. Indeed, the Basel prospective study, the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor study, and the Physicians Health Study " have shown an inverse correlation between carotenoid plasma level and risk of stroke. In the same way, Hirvonen et al. demonstrated, in findings from the ATBC cancer prevention stndy, an inverse association between P-carotene dietary intake and stroke. However, clinical data on carotenoids and stroke are nonexistent and they are needed to confirm this possible protective effect of carotenoids on stroke. 

It is noteworthy that some epidemiological studies have found that lycopene, but not lutein nor zeaxanthin, is substantially decreased in serum of AMD patients compared with age-matched control subjects (Cardinault et al., 2005). 

Giovannucci, E. 2002. A review of epidemiologic studies of tomatoes, lycopene, and prostate cancer. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 227(10) 852-859. 

Giovannucci, E., Tomato products, lycopene, and prostate cancer a review of the epidemiological literature, Am. Soc. Nut. Sci. J. Nutr., 135, 2030S-2031S, 2005. 

Oxidative stress is now recognized as an important etiological factor in the causation of several chronic diseases including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, and diabetes. Antioxidants play an important role in mitigating the damaging effects of oxidative stress on cells. Lycopene, a carotenoid antioxidant, has received considerable scientific interest in recent years. Epidemiological, tissue culture, and animal studies provide... 

The rationale for the protective role of dietary antioxidants, such as lycopene, is scientifically valid. However, only a few studies have so far been performed with lycopene. Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases are progressively degenerative diseases consisting of several stages that eventually lead to death (Rao, 2002b). Lycopene has been shown to protect LDL oxidation that characterizes the early events of the disease. Population-based epidemiological studies that use death due to cardiovascular disease (CVD)... 

Although the present epidemiological, in vitro, and in vivo studies suggest an important role for lycopene in the prevention of NDD, further research needs to be done to gain a better understanding of its role in the managements of neuronal disorders that constitute an important human health problem globally. 

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