Lycopene
Foods containing lycopene have the strongest evidence for protection against prostate cancer. In the best study to date of the impact of diet on prostate cancer risk, a prospective analysis of nearly 50,000 male health professionals began in 1986 (the Health Professional Follow-up Study). Researchers analyzed the impact of most of the various carotenoids and consuming 46 different fruits and vegetables. Only lycopene consumption was associated with a reduced risk. And only 4 fruits and vegetables were associated with lower risk, and 3 of them (tomato sauce, pizza, and tomatoes) were rich sources of lycopene.
In another, more recent, well-designed prospective study which investigated the relationship between plasma levels of several major antioxidants and the risk of prostate cancer, lycopene was the only one found to be significantly lower in men who developed prostate cancer compared to those who did not. This same relationship between lower levels of plasma and tissue lycopene and greater risk for prostate cancer has been consistently observed in other studies.
