November 24, 1999 – New research shows lycopene, an antioxidant found in high proportions in tomatoes, has effects against prostate cancer.
The research was carried out on 26 patients awaiting surgery for a localized prostate tumor. The group was split into two, one taking 50 mg per day of lycopene, the other staying on a regular diet, for 3 weeks before surgery.
According to Dr. Omer Kucuk, professor of medicine and oncology at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute at Wayne State University in Detroit, the experimental group showed much higher levels of connexin 43, a protein that inhibits cancer. cancer cells grow and force them to differentiate and die. In addition, 11 of the 15 patients in the experimental group showed a tumor localized to the prostate, against only 2 of the 11 patients in the control group. Incidentally, the tumors in the experimental group were smaller than those in the control group.
The small number of subjects in the study does not allow definitive conclusions to be drawn, but the results show an inverse relationship between lycopene levels and the growth of prostate cancer.
The research results were announced on November 16 at a press conference and are expected to be released in the coming months.
HealthPassport.net
