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By Sanjay Kumar
NEW DELHI, Mar 06 (Reuters Health) - Lycopene, a naturally occurring antioxidant found in watermelon, grapes, tomatoes and some shellfish, seems to help improve fertility in men, studies conducted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi suggest.
Researchers Rajeev Kumar and N. P. Gupta orally administered 2 milligrams of lycopene twice daily for 3 months to 30 infertile men aged 23 to 45, and measured the concentration, activity and shape of their sperm.
"We found that improvement in sperm concentration and (activity) was statistically significant," Gupta said. Sperm concentration improved in 20 patients. Almost three in four patients displayed improved sperm activity and 63% showed improvement in sperm cell shape.
There were six pregnancies after the trial, he added.
"Lycopene...is found in high concentrations in male testes and lower levels of lycopene are found in infertile males," Gupta told Reuters Health.
"Oral lycopene therapy does seem to have a positive role in the management of infertility of unknown causes," he added. "However, larger randomized controlled trials are essential before definitive therapeutic guidelines can be laid down."
The results were first announced at the Nagpur meeting of the Indian Association of Urologists held in January. The trials were sponsored by the Indian drug company Jagsonpal Pharmaceuticals, Ltd.
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