GREGORY CHANDLER --LYCOPENE

Most men should have a concern about blood flow.  Anyone who happens to watch sports on television will notice the many commercials for erectile dysfunction drugs designed to combat the effects of poor blood flow.  Lycopene may help blood flow.     

Blood vessels have an inner lining called the endothelium, which may become inflamed, stiffened and more likely to form clots.  In one study, 126 healthy men, average age 34, with a healthy weight, took 6 mg or 15 mg of lycopene per day, or a placebo.

After eight weeks, compared to the start of the study, while there were no significant changes in the low-dose or placebo groups, men who took 15 mg of lycopene had much higher antioxidant levels, less DNA damage, better blood flow and lower systolic blood pressure, lower levels of C-reactive protein, an inflammatory factor, and an increase in the size of LDL-cholesterol particles, making them less likely to stick to artery walls and form plaque. 

Researchers hope that lycopene supplementation can reduce oxidative stress and improve the health and function of the endothelium blood vessel linings. 

GREGORY CHANDLER