Kucuk says there are two possible explanations for these results. First, lycopene is an antioxidant that neutralizes free radical oxygen molecules before they can damage the DNA of cells. Lycopene is the most powerful of the antioxidants and is found in great abundance in the testicles and prostate. But Kucuk says his study was probably too short to be explained by free radical action. Instead, he theorizes that lycopene may have had an anti-inflammatory effect.
Inflammatory molecules promote cell cancer growth.
If you can prevent inflammation, maybe you prevent the growth of cancer. Antioxidants like Lycopene inhibit the enzymes that cause inflammation and may be the reason the tumors in the test group shrunk. Kucuk and his team also followed the prostate specific antigen, or PSA, levels of both groups. PSA is a protein present in the bloodstream of men with prostate cancer. High levels of total PSA indicate a likelihood of cancer.