Unlike the other carotinoids, Lycopene does not convert into vitamin A. When compared to other carotenoids and antioxidant vitamins like vitamin E, it is the most efficient scavenger of singlet oxygen of all, and represents one of the first line defenses against LDL oxidation, one of the first steps in the initiation of atherosclerosis. Besides the mounting evidence that lycopene is a particularly strong antioxidant carotenoid, published studies have also shown that lycopene enhances resistance to bacterial infections and certain tumors. Previous studies have also linked lycopene to a reduced risk of cancer. For example:

• A study released in 1994 by Dr. Franceschi at the University of Milan suggested that people who ate seven or more servings per week of tomato based products had only half the risk of digestive tract cancers (mouth, stomach, colon and rectum).

• A study released by Dr. Vaneenwyk at the University of Illinois in 1990 suggested that women with the highest levels of lycopene had a five times lower level of developing cervical cancer.

• A study released by Johns Hopkins University researchers in 1989 suggested that people with the lowest levels of lycopene in their blood are five times more likely to develop pancreatic cancer.

• In cell culture studies, Dr. John Bertram of the University of Hawaii has found that lycopene and canthaxanthin both inhibit transformation to cancer cells.

• Data from the the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study of 50,000 men aged 40-75 suggests there is a reduction in prostate cancer risk with greater intake of lycopene a carotene derivative especially plentiful in tomatoes. Lycopene, especially the transform which predominates in tomatoes, inhibits proliferation of prostate tumor cells, as does beta-carotene, according to Dr. Williams at the University of Illinois.