A new type of medication known as the "tomato pill" could supercharge sperm count by 70 percent. A study is underway to determine if lycopene found in tomatoes can increase sperm quality.
A study from Sheffield University observed lycopene content in tomatoes to boost male fertility. The research produced an over-the-counter modified lycopene supplement, which can double levels of blood lycopene.
Led by Professor Allan Pacey, known as one of Britain's most prominent experts on male fertility, the team observed 60 healthy male students and campus staff aged 18 to 30 years old for a three-month study. Half of the 60 male adults were given the over-the-counter supplement named "XY Pro" for two times a day. The other half of participants was given identical dummy capsules.
All participants of the study provided sperm and blood samples at the beginning of the project to establish baseline sperm quality and levels of lycopene. All male adults will also give further sets of blood and sperm samples halfway and at the end of the research period.
No one from the team of neither researchers nor the participants knows who received the XY Pro and who received the dummy capsules. The purpose is to prevent them from trying to influence the results of the study, according to Huffington Post.
The aim of the study was to prove if lycopene could increase mature sperm quality by reducing DNA damage. Sperm production takes about three months, which is when the study will be able to release its results. When the study is deemed successful, researchers will have a better reason to consider testing the product in infertile patients.
A similar study from America's prestigious Cleveland Clinic in Ohio stated that lycopene could indeed boost the quality of sperm by 70 percent. A number of studies also confirm that lycopene can slow that the advancement of prostate cancer and be beneficial to the overall male reproductive system.
Britain faces a childlessness epidemic given that one in six couples are not able to conceive. About 50 percent of the problem is known to be caused by poor quality of sperm in men, according to Daily Mail.
