Research review
Does lycopene help with kidney stones or kidney disease? What the research does and doesn't show
This ingredient's queued keywords ask about kidney stones and chronic kidney disease, not liver; a 30,444-person diet study found several carotenoids linked to fewer kidney stones, but lycopene specifically wasn't one of them, and human trial evidence on lycopene and kidney disease doesn't exist yet.
The searches behind this page are about kidney stones and chronic kidney disease, not the liver, so that's what this answers. A large diet study found several carotenoids linked to fewer kidney stones — but lycopene specifically wasn't one of them, and no human trial has tested a lycopene supplement against kidney stones or kidney disease.
What the evidence doesn't support
It doesn't support lycopene as a way to prevent kidney stones: in the largest dietary study on the question, lycopene was the one carotenoid measured that did not show a significant association with lower stone prevalence, while four others did. It doesn't support lycopene as a treatment or protective supplement for chronic kidney disease either — the research summarizing that idea draws mostly on animal experiments, and its own authors say human clinical studies are still limited. Nothing here should be read as lycopene protecting the kidneys, or the liver, in a person.
What the trials found
A 2023 analysis of NHANES dietary data from 30,444 US adults, including 2,909 with kidney stones, tested five dietary carotenoids — alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene and lutein/zeaxanthin — against kidney stone prevalence. Comparing people with the highest intake to those with the lowest, alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin and lutein/zeaxanthin were each significantly linked to fewer kidney stones. Lycopene was not among the carotenoids that showed a significant link in this analysis, even though it was measured using the same method as the others.
A 2025 review pulled together the mechanistic case for lycopene and kidney health: it's an antioxidant, and oxidative stress is a known driver of kidney injury. The review pointed to animal studies where lycopene reduced kidney damage from toxins like cisplatin, and to some observational data linking higher lycopene intake to fewer CKD diagnoses and better survival among existing CKD patients. But the review's own authors were explicit that clinical studies of lycopene in kidney disease are relatively few, and called for larger studies in real populations before drawing conclusions.
Questions people ask
Does lycopene help prevent kidney stones?
The largest available study — a 30,444-person diet analysis — found several other carotenoids linked to fewer kidney stones, but not lycopene specifically. That doesn't rule out any role for lycopene, but it doesn't support one either.
Is lycopene good for chronic kidney disease?
Most of what's known comes from animal studies and a small number of observational human studies, summarized in a 2025 review whose authors said clinical research in this area is still limited. There isn't a randomized trial testing lycopene supplementation against CKD outcomes in people.
When to talk to a doctor
Anyone with kidney stones, reduced kidney function, or a kidney disease diagnosis should work with a doctor or nephrologist on evaluation and treatment rather than a supplement. Lycopene is not a treatment for kidney stones or kidney disease, and the evidence above doesn't support using it as one.
Related reading: lycopene: what the research does and doesn't show, lycopene and cancer, reviewed, and what is lycopene.
Sources
- Association of dietary carotenoid intake with the prevalence kidney stones among the general adult population A dietary analysis of 30,444 adults found four carotenoids — alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin and lutein/zeaxanthin — associated with fewer kidney stones; lycopene specifically was not among them.
- Lycopene: A potent antioxidant to alleviate kidney disease A 2025 review of lycopene and kidney disease found most of the supporting evidence comes from animal experiments, and the authors themselves noted that human clinical studies in this area are still limited.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.