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ABSTRACT
A number of epidemiological studies have explored the association between lycopene or lycopene-rich food intake and the risk of colorectal cancer, but the results of these studies have not been consistent. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies published in the PubMed and EMBASE databases to quantitatively assess the association between lycopene consumption and the risk of colorectal cancer. A total of 15 studies were included in the meta-analysis, and the summary relative risk (RR) for highest versus lowest category indicated no significant association between lycopene consumption and the risk of colorectal cancer [RR = 0.94, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.80–1.10]. However, a significant inverse association was observed between lycopene consumption and the site of cancer in the colon (RR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.81–0.96). We also found that the incidence of colon cancer and lycopene intake did not exhibit dose-response relationships. The Grades of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) quality in our study was very low. In conclusion, this meta-analysis indicates that lycopene consumption is not associated with the risk of colorectal cancer. Further research will be needed in this area to provide conclusive evidence.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by PROSPERO.
Dr. Wang and his advisor Professor Chen (Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China) are responsible for the study design, literature search, systematic review, data collection or analysis, the decision to publish, and manuscript preparation.
Miss Yang (Xiangya School of Medical Central South University, Changsha, China) and Mrs. Liu (The Second Artillery General Hospital, PLA, Beijing, China) revised the manuscript and provided valuable advice.
Mr. Zhou (The First People's Hospital of Changde City, Changde, China) helped conducted the dose-response meta-analyses with the STATA program.
All authors made joint efforts to ensure that the final version of this study was reliable and integrated. Xin Wang serves as a guarantor.
Conflict of Interest
None declared.