With the rise of prostate health issues who can blame you for pursuing alternate approaches in the hopes of thwarting the onset or easing the symptoms. Some might work while others don’t. Still there are lots of people who believe in the healing power of natural remedies to be found in fruits and vegetables. One of these natural remedies is said to exist in red tomatoes – lycopene. But what do we know about it? Well, here are some answers to your burning questions.
Lycopene, what is it?
Lycopene is a phyto-chemical. It’s a potent antioxidant. Some experts say it can help reduce the risk of cancer specifically prostate cancer. This is because it contains antioxidants aplenty. Although there is still no scientific proof this is true why let that stop you?
How can we get it?
Although present in some fruits like watermelon, pink or red grapefruit and guava, lycopene is really concentrated in red tomatoes. Truth is it’s what makes tomatoes red. You can eat them raw but to get the most of this it’s best to cook the tomatoes to intensify the effect.
How does it work?
Lycopene protects your cells from toxins or free radicals. It neutralizes possible carcinogens before they can affect you. Needless to say, this is one strong antioxidant. Rumor has it if you eat enough lycopene-laden foods you can cut the risk of having prostate cancer significantly.
What does the FDA have to say about this?
They are cautious. Although there are some claims that lycopene reduces the risk of prostate cancer, the FDA finds this to be preliminary with little supporting scientific evidence. More research may turn up further proof or not.
What about lycopene supplements?
On lycopene supplements, why eat the tomatoes when you can take a pill, right? The outlook for these is even less promising. To get any benefit you’re probablay better off eating the real thing.
The real deal on lycopene:
As of now, there is no new news. But even if lycopene isn’t all it’s cracked up to be tomatoes give you vitamins C and E, flavonoids, beta-carotene, potassium and foliate. Which isn’t bad from something you can grow in your back yard. All that alone is a reason to include them in your diet whenever you get the chance.
As a men’s health enthusiast Leonard Z Sennish has written extensively about the causes and risk factors of prostate cancer, new prostate cancer treatments, and robotic prostate surgery. He has contributed many useful articles that cover those topics and more to the leading men’s health site ProblemProstate.com.