Lycopene is a very powerful antioxidant that is found in a variety of red and pink fruits and vegetables. Lycopene is the chemical in the fruits and vegetables that causes the meat of the fruit or vegetable to have a red or pink color. Numerous studies have been done on lycopene, prostate cancer, plus whether lycopene can help prevent or treat prostate cancer.
With how many lycopene prostate cancer studies have been, done you can find research supporting both opinions. You can find some research that suggests that lycopene does not help prevent prostate cancer, but you can also find research that supports the fact that lycopene can help prevent prostate cancer. With how predominate prostate cancer is in older men an answer to the question of whether lycopene helps the prostate in general needs to be found.
One study done by Harvard investigators shows us that by ingesting a specific amount of lycopene each day, men can reduce their chances of prostate cancer. The reason for this is that the more lycopene that is in the blood levels the lower the levels of the prostate specific antigen in the blood. This study has also found that there is some benefit from ingesting lycopene in men who already have advanced stages of prostate cancer.
The trick to using lycopene to help your prostate is to take the correct amount. Many people think that because lycopene is a natural chemical found in foods that they more they ingest of it the better off they will be, this can also include taking supplements. The truth of the matter is that more is not always better. Studies have been done on men who were taking large amounts of lycopene to help protect themselves from prostate cancer. The results from these studies showed that men who were taking more than what is recommended had complications; issues were caused from the overdosing of lycopene.
To make sure that you are not getting too much lycopene, you still want to get the recommended dosage because it has been shown to at least help protect men from prostate cancer, you will need to read the packages of any supplements that you are taking. You want to look for the amount of lycopene that is included in the multivitamin and any other supplements that you are taking. Just remember that the multivitamin and other supplements are designed to make up the natural ingredients that your body is not getting through a balanced diet.