Lycopene and other carotenoids in Black women
What it found
In Black women followed for about 5 years, lycopene and other carotenoids in the diet made no clear difference to the number of new uterine fibroids found on ultrasound.
What they found
Studies in people
Lycopene and fibroids
Lycopene intake was not appreciably associated with new uterine fibroids. Comparing the highest intake group (at least 4,818 micrograms a day) with the lowest (under 2,376 micrograms a day), the authors found no clear difference.
Other carotenoids and vitamin A
Intakes of alpha carotene, beta carotene, cryptoxanthin, lutein-zeaxanthin, and vitamin A were also not appreciably associated with fibroid incidence. Vitamin A from food or supplements showed little association.
Body weight, smoking, fat
The results were similar across groups of body mass index, smoking status, and dietary fat intake. There was no clear evidence that these factors changed the link between carotenoids and fibroids.
Animal and lab studies
Animal studies compared
Earlier animal studies in Japanese quail found that lycopene supplementation reduced leiomyoma in the oviduct. The authors note the quail were exposed to 100 to 200 mg of lycopene per kilogram of diet, likely much higher than what people eat.
What the authors conclude
“This prospective ultrasound study of Black women does not support the hypothesis that greater intake of lycopene, or any other carotenoids, reduces the incidence of UL.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that the study does not support the hypothesis that greater intake of lycopene, or any other carotenoids, reduces the incidence of uterine fibroids.
- They say that despite earlier reports of potential benefits from lycopene supplementation in animals, the null results from this study and two earlier US prospective cohort studies suggest it is unlikely that carotenoid intake prevents fibroids in humans.
How it was done
Lycopene supplements had reduced the size and number of oviduct leiomyoma in Japanese quail, and two earlier US studies in women found little link, but those studies relied on self-reported diagnoses. The authors wanted to use ultrasound to detect fibroids more accurately.
They followed 1,230 Black women aged 23 to 35 in Detroit who did not have fibroids at the start. Women filled in a food questionnaire at the start, and had transvaginal ultrasound at the start and at 20, 40 and 60 months to check for new fibroids.
What it can’t tell you
- This was an observational study, so it can show links but not cause and effect.
- The study relied on self-reported diet, which can be inaccurate, and did not measure carotenoid levels in the blood.
- The number of new fibroid cases was relatively small, so the results are not precise.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by NIEHS NIH HHS (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- Conflict of interest disclosures: None.
- Authors work at
- Boston University School of Public Health, MA; Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, DC; National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, NC
The paper
- Title
- Intake of Lycopene and other Carotenoids and Incidence of Uterine Leiomyomata: A Prospective Ultrasound Study
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Wise LA, Wesselink AK, Bethea TN, et al (2021). Intake of Lycopene and other Carotenoids and Incidence of Uterine Leiomyomata: A Prospective Ultrasound Study. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2020.08.013Free full textPubMed 33350944DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error