A nutrient found in a ‘tomato pill’ could supercharge sperm by up to 70 per cent and offer new hope to childless couples. Researchers at Sheffield University in South Yorkshire, United Kingdom (UK) unveiled this development in a new study.
The compound, lycopene, which gives tomatoes their red colour, is believed to have the capacity to boost the quality of sperm by up to 70 per cent. Lycopene is also found in watermelons. According to a report in mailonline, a recently published study by fertility specialists at America’s prestigious Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, similarly showed that lycopene can boost sperm quality by 70 per cent. The focus of the study at Sheffield University was to measure the boost to male fertility offered by an over-the-counter modified lycopene supplement known to double blood lycopene levels. A man’s fertility generally relies on the quantity and quality of his sperm.
If the number of sperm a man ejaculates is low or if the sperm are of a poor quality, it would be difficult, and sometimes impossible, for him to cause a pregnancy. In Nigeria, one in four couples has fertility challenge and low sperm quality is one of the factors causing infertility, according to medical experts. According to data sourced from Andrology Australia, Centre for Male Reproductive Health, funded by the Australian Government Department of Health: “It is estimated that one in 20 men has some kind of fertility problem with low numbers of sperm in his ejaculate”. However, only about one in every 100 men has no sperm in his ejaculate.
The Sheffield team lead-er, Professor Allan Pacey, one of Britain’s leading experts on male infertility, said a number of other studies have also indicated that lycopene can slow down the progression of prostate cancer and the enlargement of the prostate that causes bladder problems in older men. Professor Pacey said: “Studies elsewhere in the world have shown that the antioxidant properties of lycopene seem to have a beneficial effect on sperm quality and we want to investigate this further.
“This study will tell us if lycopene improves the quality of sperm already in development by reducing DNA damage, and whether it produces an overall increase in the number of mature sperm. “There is enough evidence out there to indicate this study is worth doing and I am cautiously optimistic.
“If it works in the volunteers we would then consider testing it in infertile patients.” He added: “We know lycopene seems to have a beneficial effect on the health of the male reproductive system and I’m cautiously optimistic our trial will show a benefit for sperm production.” Professor Roger Kirby, a London specialist in men’s reproductive health, said he has long recommended the use of lycopene. “I have been prescribing for it for many years, and I would welcome more trials to measure the benefit and prove how it works,” he said.
