New evidence
Men at high cardiovascular risk who ate the most lycopene had roughly half the prostate cancer risk — but the benefit only clearly appeared above 4.9 mg/day, and this is the first randomized trial to report the link.
This is an intriguing early signal from a single trial in a specific clinical population, but with so little prior data, it's too soon to treat blood orange (or lycopene) as a proven preventive — the finding needs replication before it becomes actionable.
In a trial of nearly 3,000 men with high cardiovascular risk, those who consumed the most lycopene (found in blood oranges, tomatoes, and other red fruits) had a 54% lower chance of developing prostate cancer over roughly six years compared to those who ate the least. The protection kicked in above about 4.9 mg per day — roughly the amount in one medium tomato — but because this is the first strong study on the pairing, the result should be treated as a promising clue, not a settled fact.
Where this fits in the evidence
This is among the first studies we've indexed on Blood Orange for Reduced Prostate Cancer Risk — treat it as an early signal until more research accumulates.
The study
- Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)
- n = 2,970
- 2025-11-10
- BMC medicine
This is a plain-language summary of a research finding, not medical advice. Pillser surfaces research signals to help you decide what's worth investigating — always consult a qualified professional before changing what you take.