Clinical trials are beginning to see whether lycopene, an antioxidant found in tomatoes, helps lower the risk of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. If the results are encouraging, this Canadian team of researchers will test whether lycopene will preserve bone mass in women with osteoporosis.

This summer, Dr. Leticia Rao (St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON) and colleagues will be publishing two papers dealing with the in vitro effects of lycopene on osteoblasts and osteoclasts. "We believe oxidative stress is associated with the risk of osteoporosis and that antioxidants such as lycopene are potential candidates for osteoporosis therapy," she explains.

In response to the huge 20,000-person, 5-year "Heart Protection Study", which found no evidence that antioxidant vitamin supplementation with vitamin C, vitamin E, or beta carotene had any effect on fractures, Rao believes that lycopene may be different. She says, "It is a much more potent antioxidant than vitamins E, C, and beta carotene," and points out that the association between antioxidants and osteoporosis has been confirmed in a recent article in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

The richest source of lycopene is found in tomatoes, although small amounts occur in watermelon and pink grapefruit. Interestingly, tomato-containing products (juice, tomato paste, pasta sauce, ketchup) contain more lycopene than fresh tomatoes. 85% of the daily intake of lycopene comes from tomatoes and tomato products.

Rao explains that future studies will look at the role of lycopene in osteoporosis, and that "women who are hesitant to use drugs might be more willing to use natural dietary components as a means of preventing osteoporosis."