Can Lycopene cause PSA to Rise?

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Pat - 19 Mar 2004 21:32 GMT

Background of Question:
After reading that Lycopene might ward off prostate cancer I began to
take it. Within a year of starting, my PSA jumped from 2.8 to a higher
plateau at 5.0, but biopsy was negative. Now nine more months into
taking lycopene my PSA is staying exactly flat at that higher level of
5.0, and my % free PSA is 19, comfortably below the 25% cutoff.

I'm age 60 and not seeking medical advice, having already decided to get
another biopsy to be on the safe side.

My Question: I am examining what I might have been doing different in
that one year that might have caused my PSA to jump to a higher level. I
have heard that something called sawgrass can lower PSA readings so that
they are artificially low, and could therefore mask a real problem.

Could there a mirror image to that, can taking Lycopene though good for
warding off prostate cancer, nevertheless cause the PSA to test higher
than without the Lycopene.

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Pat
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MH - 20 Mar 2004 01:40 GMT

> Background of Question:
> After reading that Lycopene might ward off prostate cancer I began to
> take it. Within a year of starting, my PSA jumped from 2.8 to a higher
> plateau at 5.0, but biopsy was negative. Now nine more months into
> taking lycopene my PSA is staying exactly flat at that higher level of
> 5.0, and my % free PSA is 19, comfortably below the 25% cutoff.

I'm afraid *free PSA* works the other way around. The lower the free PSA,
the *greater* the risk of PCa.

Take care,
MikeH

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Rgr - 20 Mar 2004 02:20 GMT

Here's a good link on free PSA.

http://www.marinurology.com/articles/cap/learning/psa.htm

I learned something new myself.
I guess I never needed to learn about free PSA, since my biopsy came back
positive on the first try. If they had done my free PSA, they never
mentioned it in the report. My PSA started at about 4.0 and ended at 4.5
just before my RRP.

Rog

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John - 20 Mar 2004 14:28 GMT

Hello:

I have been taking lots of Lycopene & saw palmento for the past 6 months. My
last PAS test was below 1. My test before the last was above 1.

Lou

> Background of Question:
> After reading that Lycopene might ward off prostate cancer I began to
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
> warding off prostate cancer, nevertheless cause the PSA to test higher
> than without the Lycopene.

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