Lycopene: Why Men Should Eat Fruits and Vegetables to Prevent Prostate Cancer

Lycopene is a caretenoid found in fruits and vegetables. It is the substance that gives tomatoes its red coloration and other fruits. The rich sources of lycopene include the tomatoes, guava, rosehip, watermelon and pink grapefruit amongst a variety of vegetables.

Activity of lycopene that gives it its health benefit is its ability to quench singlet oxygen (convert it to triplet state). Singlet oxygen is the active state of oxygen that destabilizes most of the body's proteins, causing skin disorientation and promoting the growth of cancer causative cells.

Prostate cancer is caused by cells of the prostate mutating and begins to multiply out of rapidly. Signs of developing cancer include urination pain, difficulty at sexual intercourse among other genital complications. Men worry a lot about prostate cancer because it affects a vital organ, decreasing �manhood', productivity (physical and sexual), and self esteem.

A lot of medication is available from the pharmaceutical industry and other medical fields. Treatment can include surgery, hormonal drugs, synthetic drugs and maybe a combination of these. These treatments are always very expensive and uncertain and hence the need to prevent the occurrence of the prostate cancer when the opportunity is still available.

Research has shown vividly that prevention of prostate cancer can be best done by consumption of reasonable amounts of lycopene. Frequent consumption of lycopene help reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer to a greater extent, and the maintenance of body health is assured. To benefit from lycopene, variety of fruits and vegetables should be consumed especially tomatoes.

Availability of lycopene to the body has been shown by science to increase when processed tomato juices are consumed in preference to the natural fruit. Partially cooked tomatoes also increase the availability of lycopene to the body.

When preparing vegetables, tomatoes should form part of the spices so that adequate lycopene is provided. The activity of lycopene in the body in prevention is enhanced by regular exercise that maintains body fitness. The synergetic action of other antioxidants such as vitamin E and A should not be overlooked. But when vegetables are consumed in good quantities, one need to worry less for the availability of other vitamins and minerals will enhance ones health status.

To closely monitor the possible of having prostate cancer, a visit to the doctor once in a while is encouraged. Proper examination should provide adequate information on whether there are other medications that should accompany the use of lycopene rich fruits and vegetables.

The most important aspect of nutrition worth remembering is that people prone to prostate cancer should abstain from high fat foods, and other cancer causative agents such as poorly cooked meat (overcooked and undercooked alike), use of fatty junk foods and contaminated environment.