Know2eat

Lycopene

Isolated Compounds

What lycopene may help with

Ranked by how strong the human evidence is — best supported first.

Best supportedHealthy blood pressureLimited evidence· 4 sources

Then, in order

About Lycopene

The red carotenoid of tomatoes, watermelon and pink grapefruit, extracted from tomatoes or produced by fermentation. Unlike beta-carotene it has no vitamin A activity.

Lycopene is the carotenoid with the most disappointing gap between observational promise and trial result. Cohort studies consistently link higher tomato and lycopene intake with lower prostate cancer risk, which prompted a formal petition to US regulators for a health claim; the agency reviewed the evidence and concluded there was no credible support for lycopene and cancer, rejecting the claim for prostate, lung, colorectal, gastric, breast, ovarian, endometrial and pancreatic cancer. Supplement trials since have not changed that. Small trials on blood pressure and endothelial function report modest effects. The most robust practical finding about lycopene is a cooking fact: it is far better absorbed from cooked, oil-containing tomato products than from raw tomatoes.

Sold as
Softgel, Tomato oleoresin capsule, Tablet, Fortified foods
Standardised to
Milligrams of lycopene; tomato oleoresin also supplies other tomato carotenoids and phytochemicals, synthetic lycopene does not — a product without this marker may not resemble what was studied.
Also known as
Tomato extract, Lyc-O-Mato, Red carotenoid

Regulation: Sold as a dietary supplement in the US with no pre-market efficacy review. US regulators reviewed and rejected qualified health claims linking lycopene to reduced cancer risk, concluding there was no credible evidence for them.

What the research used

The amounts, forms and durations published trials of Lycopene actually administered.

These are the amounts published trials administered — not a recommendation, and not a dose to copy. Trial participants were screened, supervised and given a characterised preparation. What is in a retail bottle is frequently not what was studied, and the amount that suits one person is not general advice.

  • Studied for Cardiovascular and blood pressure trials

    10–30 mg

    Limited

    Softgel or tomato extract, daily · 4–12 weeks

    Meta-analyses suggest any blood pressure effect appears above roughly 12 mg daily. The trials are small and heterogeneous, and several used whole tomato products rather than isolated lycopene.

  • Studied for Prostate studies

    15–30 mg

    Not enough

    Capsule, daily · 3 weeks to 6 months

    Doses in small trials measuring PSA and tissue markers. Results have not supported the observational signal, and regulators reviewing this literature found no credible evidence.

This is general information about food, not medical advice. It cannot diagnose, treat or replace guidance from a clinician who knows your history.

When it was taken

Each window says whether a trial compared it against an alternative, or whether it is convention and pharmacology. Most timing advice is the second kind.

Each timing below was actually compared against an alternative in a trial, which is unusual.

  • With food

    Moderate

    Absorption of lycopene rises markedly when it is consumed with fat, and heat processing shifts it toward the more bioavailable cis isomers. This is well-measured food chemistry rather than a trial comparison of supplement timing.

    Timing was tested. A trial compared this window against another and reported a difference.

The evidence in depth

Best supported: Limited

What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how promising the supplement sounds. How we rate evidence.

Healthy blood pressure

Heart Health
Limited evidence

Pooled analyses report small reductions in systolic blood pressure at doses above roughly 12 mg daily, mostly in people with raised blood pressure to begin with. The trials are small and inconsistent.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

View the 4 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Skin photoprotection

Skin Health
Limited evidence

Small trials of tomato paste and lycopene supplements report modest increases in the ultraviolet dose needed to redden skin. The effect is small and is not a substitute for sun protection.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

View the 3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Blood lipid profile

Heart Health
Not enough evidence

Effects on LDL cholesterol and oxidised LDL have been reported inconsistently across small trials and are not established.

Not enough evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

View the 3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Prostate health

Men's Health
Not enough evidence

Observational studies link tomato intake with lower prostate cancer risk, but supplement trials have not confirmed it and a formal regulatory review concluded there was no credible evidence for a lycopene and cancer claim. The gap between the cohort data and the trials is the whole story here.

Not enough evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

View the 3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Things to know

Interactions, contraindications and dose limits, most serious first. Concentrated extracts interact with medication in ways the whole plant does not, so this section carries more weight here than it does on a food page.

  • Worth knowing

    The cancer claim was reviewed and rejected

    US regulators examined the lycopene and cancer literature in detail and concluded there was no credible evidence supporting a claim for any of the cancers examined. Marketing that leans on the observational tomato research is leaning on evidence that has already been formally assessed and found wanting.

  • Worth knowing

    The food may not be replaceable by the capsule

    The cohort associations are with tomato consumption, which supplies lycopene alongside potassium, vitamin C and a range of other compounds in a fatty cooked matrix. Isolating one pigment and putting it in a softgel has not reproduced the observational signal.

  • Too much

    Lycopenodermia

    Very high intakes can turn the skin a deep orange, most visibly on the palms and soles. It is harmless and fades over weeks after stopping.

  • Interaction

    Additive with blood pressure medication

    Interacts withAntihypertensives

    Given the reported blood pressure effect, a modest additive effect with antihypertensives is plausible, though it has not been documented as a clinical problem.

In the food catalogue

The whole-food form, where one exists. The evidence for a concentrated extract rarely transfers to the food, or the other way round — these are cross-links, not equivalents.

GuavaPink guava is among the densest fruit sources.TomatoesThe main dietary source; lycopene absorption is several times higher…WatermelonA raw source with lycopene in a form that is comparatively well…

Evidence ratings on this page: 2 limited evidence, 2 not enough evidence.

Supplements are sold in the US without pre-market review of efficacy or safety. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to take Lycopene, or a dose to follow.