Supplementation with the antioxidant lycopene significantly decreases oxidative stress parameters and the bone resorption marker N-telopeptide of type I collagen in postmenopausal women

To date, no intervention studies have been published demonstrating the effect of the antioxidant lycopene on bone. Postmenopausal women supplemented with lycopene had significantly increased antioxidant capacity and decreased oxidative stress and the bone resorption marker N-telopeptide (NTx). Lycopene decreases bone resorption markers and may reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

Lycopene and other carotenoids inhibit estrogenic activity of 17 β-estradiol and genistein in cancer cells

Epidemiological evidence suggests that carotenoids prevent several types of cancer, including mammary and endometrial cancers. On the other hand, such studies have also shown that estrogens are the most important risk factors for these cancer types. Genistein, the phytoestrogen mainly found in soy, also shows significant estrogenic activity when tested at concentrations found in human … Continued

Polyphenols, isothiocyanates, and carotenoid derivatives enhance estrogenic activity in bone cells but inhibit it in breast cancer cells

Polyphenols, isothiocyanates, and carotenoid derivatives enhance estrogenic activity in bone cells but inhibit it in breast cancer cells. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 303: E815–E824, 2012. First published August 30, 2011; doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00142.2011.—While exposure to estrogens is a major risk factor of breast and endometrial cancer, it well established that estrogens are beneficial for bone health. … Continued