Tomato lycopene may affect the IGF-system, reduce cancer risk.

Results of a study published in the November 2007 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggest that supplementing the diet with tomato lycopene may decrease cancer risk by interfering with the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system.

The 8-week, double-blind study, funded by the Dutch Cancer Society, investigated the effect of supplementation with 30 mg per day of tomato lycopene on serum concentrations of IGF-I and -II, which are associated with increased prostate, premenopausal breast, and colorectal cancer risk, and on their binding proteins (IGFBP-1, -2, and -3). In this trial, 76 men and women at greater risk of colorectal cancer participated, using tomato lycopene capsules supplied by LycoRed.

"This is the first study known to show that lycopene supplementation may increase circulating IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2 concentrations, thereby potentially decreasing IGF-I bioavailability," said researcher Alina Vrieling of the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam. "Thus, it may provide a means of ultimately reducing colorectal cancer risk, and potentially the risks of other major cancers such as prostate and premenopausal breast cancer."

For further information: 972-8-6296-630.