I ate tomato paste (supposedly the best source of bioavailable lycopene) by the tablespoon when my PSA was first elevated. It did nothing for me.
Yes I have. I started a complete diet nutrient plan upon dx under advisement of a naturalpathic oncologist . He told me that even if you ate boat loads of cooked tomatoes it would be hard to get enough daily. I take 20 mgs twice daily with food. Along with 10 others nutrients ..Has it worked? I think it’s all helped me stay clear four and half out of five years this Friday the 13th . Follow your own pathway to healing . It’s your life . Good luck 🍀
I did a calorie-restricted, low-protein keto diet for a few months, with very little tomato-based foods. I followed that with a few months of a less restrictive diet (more calories, more [healthy] carbs and protein) that was based around homemade tomato sauce w/ plenty of olive oil, garlic and turmeric.
Starting out, PSA went down (from 20 to 13) under the low-cal/low-pro keto. But all the gains were lost after the following few months on the higher-cal, lycopene-rich diet. That doesn't mean the lycopene wasn't helping, but if it was, it was clearly offset by other factors. (In addition, there was also a change in vitamin/mineral supplementation with the change in diet.)
My guess is that the impact of a SINGLE factor such as lycopene is not going to make a huge difference in either direction, so far as cancer progression is concerned. It is probably the entire dietary protocol that matters, and ranking the most important factors within the diet is going to be difficult.
Just I guess, but I would think that causing a wholesale change in your overall metabolic regime (for example, via greatly reducing energy input and/or inducing ketosis) could have a bigger impact than adding a few micronutrients, beneficial as they may seem.
But... if you like tomatoes, I doubt more lycopene will hurt. Might help. But don't expect miracles.
Dr William Li has a Ted talk about angiogenesis. In the talk he explains the difference in bioavailability between the trans and cis forms of lycopene.
Supplements can help a patient to feel better / help the immune system - improve overall health and even target some problems in the organism, but beware of claims about cures - there is little evidence to support 'miracle' cures.
I take (and have taken lycopene) for an extended period of time and it has NOT cured my PCa, but I still take some selected supplements to address specific needs.
This is the sort of thing that I personally follow with this logic. Hmmm tomato sauce! I love Italian food so why not? Or a supplement for that matter, is inexpensive and safe. No downside except investing a little in it financially and emotionally. Perhaps it helps a little in the fight; Perhaps no real difference. Decide for yourself, as there will be no result that you can attribute to taking it or not. Part of your chosen regimen: fine. Passing on it, but still including and enjoying tomato based sauces: fine too. More than fine. Buen provecho!
I first read about lycopene about 10 years ago when I was diagnosed. Since then, nobody has suggested that eating large amounts of dried tomatoes has given them any real and provable reduction in Psa or amount of amount of Pca or number of mets.
Perhaps if you ate say 20Kg of pure lycopine, or were to safely have a certain amount injected into blood stream, it might do something, but if it was common for men to get a benefit from lycopene this would not remain a secret and every man would try to get it because so many others had and their Psa went down and scans looked better.
Like so many quack cures, I feel lycopine is another dud.
If anyone does find that eating huge amounts of dried tomatoes makes them puff up and go red in the face then its a benign condition of turning into a tomato. Lessening tomato intake to 1 or 2 a day will soon restore you to your former self o
Anyway, its a nice autumn day here, just finished replacing a hot water system and I used muscles I have not used for a long time. Do me good.
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