Why cooked?
Cooked tomatoes with olive oil are about the best food to keep your prostate healthy!
Tomatoes are quite powerful in the fight against PCa because they are one of the richest dietary sources of lycopene, a red pigment that coincidentally accumulates preferentially in prostate tissue.
Raw tomatoes are nutritious, but they are not the most efficient way to access lycopene. In fresh tomatoes, lycopene is tightly bound within rigid plant cell walls, which limits how much your body can absorb. Heat changes that structure. Cooking tomatoes breaks down those cell walls and converts lycopene into forms that are easier for the intestine to take up.
And, when cooked tomatoes are paired with fat (especially olive oil) absorption improves even more because lycopene is fat-soluble. The result is a higher lycopene blood level from a modest serving of cooked tomato products than from a much larger amount of raw tomatoes. This fact alone explains so much about the Mediterranean diet. Think Italy and Greece!
According to research, lycopene helps support prostate health in several ways:
Lycopene neutralizes free radicals, reducing DNA damage that can lead to cancer.
Lycopene helps regulate hormone levels, including testosterone and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), both of which influence prostate cell growth. Think of IGF-1 as a “growth booster” for the body. It is helpful in the right amounts, but potentially harmful if overactive
Lycopene has been shown to reduce inflammation, a known driver of many chronic diseases, including cancer.
Lycopene can help slow down or even stop the growth of abnormal cells, especially in the prostate.
Lycopene also slows the growth of new blood vessels that feed tumors in animal prostate models.
Animal studies demonstrate that lycopene stops prostate cell growth and promotes cancer cell self-destruction, further reinforcing its role in halting tumor progression.
And if that’s not enough evidence, a controlled clinical study involving men with localized PCa further demonstrated its potency. Consuming about 1 ounce/day of tomato sauce for just three weeks doubled the amount of lycopene in the blood and nearly tripled the amount of lycopene in prostate tissue. Considering its role in prostate health, this is a big deal. In this study, according to Bowen et al., oxidative damage in DNA decreased by 21% in white blood cells and 28% in prostate tissue. In addition, PSA declined by 17.5%.
This is one instance where maybe we put “everything in moderation” aside. Eat your cooked tomatoes!
Large-scale meta-analyses (strong, credible research) and other large studies also support lycopene’s protective role.
1. A comprehensive meta-analysis of 42 studies, including nearly 700,000 men (!) and about 44,000 PCa cases, found that for every 2 mg/day increase (less than 0.1 ounce) in dietary lycopene correlated with a 1% reduction in PCa risk. Think about that. Hopefully you like tomato sauce and juice like I do, because this is powerful!
2. A major review published in Frontiers in Nutrition analyzed data from 121 studies involving over 108,000 (!) cancer cases. Researchers found that individuals with higher levels of lycopene in their blood had an 11% lower risk of developing cancer. The study also confirmed that the more lycopene people consumed, the stronger the protective effect.
3. A 2022 study in Antioxidants concluded that lycopene consistently demonstrated anti-cancer properties in both human and animal studies. The article noted that lycopene slowed the progression of prostate tumors, reduced oxidative stress and supported cancer
cell death, a process that cancer cells typically resist.
4. Even older studies report similar findings, estimating 10–20% lower PCa risk among men with higher intakes of tomato products.
So, “If lycopene is so good for prostate health, shouldn’t I just take a lycopene supplement?” Not necessarily. While lycopene supplements are available, studies suggest that eating lycopene, especially from cooked tomato products offers more benefits. That’s because whole foods contain other beneficial compounds that work together with lycopene to enhance its effects. For example, tomatoes also contain vitamin C, potassium, folate and other carotenoids that can support immune function and reduce inflammation.
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