Numerous studies have been done on Lycopene and prostate health. The studies that were done have actually determined that lycopene can help reduce the risk of prostate cancer. Lycopene is a very powerful antioxidant that is found in various red and pink fruits and vegetables. The chemical lycopene is what causes tomatoes to be red and watermelon to be pink; lycopene gives the red and pink color to the fruits and vegetables that contain it.
In order to understand how lycopene and prostate health relate to each other you need to understand how lycopene works. Lycopene as an antioxidant prevents cell damage from occurring due to oxidant of the cells. When cell damage occurs that can lead to health problems, such as prostate cancer. By eating a diet, rich in lycopene you can help improve your overall health, along with prostate health. Tomatoes are the best foods to eat to get lycopene in your diet because they contain a higher amount of lycopene than other fruits and vegetables. Just because tomatoes have a higher amount of lycopene doesn’t mean that you can’t eat other foods that are rich in lycopene, watermelon is another food that is high in lycopene.
One study that was done by Harvard investigators involved over 40,000 health professionals. This study found that men who ate more than 10 servings of tomato-based foods on a daily basis had a 35% lower risk of developing prostate cancer. The study also included men who had more advanced stages of prostate cancer and the benefits of the lycopene in these men was more pronounced.
Another study that was done on lycopene and prostate health looked at the blood levels of lycopene. This study found that risk of developing prostate cancer actually decreased with the increasing amount of lycopene in the blood. In this study, it was shown that men who ingested or took 50 milligrams of lycopene a day had the highest levels of lycopene in their blood. The higher the levels of lycopene in the blood were the lower the levels of prostate specific antigen, which is a sign of prostate cancer.
The best way to increase the amount of lycopene in your blood so that you can improve your prostate health is to eat more tomatoes and tomato based products. For example, tomato pastes contain the highest amount of lycopene, with 42.2 milligrams. Tomato ketchup also contains lycopene, so if you eat fries dip them in ketchup to help improve your prostate health.