Could Tomatoes Help Boost a Man's Fertility?

Doctors have discovered a compound in cooked tomatoes that could up your sperm quality.

As of late, experts have started to discover more and more ways to help increase fertility. There are various compounds found naturally in foods that have been proven to help with male infertility. Today, we’ll be talking about a compound found specifically in tomatoes that could help men struggling with infertility. This compound Lycopene can be found in the pigments of various fruits and vegetables but most especially in tomatoes. 

In this article we’re going to discuss:

  • What Is Lycopene?
  • What Does This Mean For the Future of Male Infertility?
A man leans against a wall and contemplates using tomatoes for fertility.
Of all of the supplements available to help promote sperm function, those found in common foods are often the easiest for a wide range of people to gain access to. 

What Is Lycopene?

And how exactly can tomatoes help treat male infertility?

Scientists at the University of Sheffield discovered that it was possible to boost healthy shaped and fast swimming sperm in men through various extensive tests throughout their trial. Head of the University’s Oncology and Metabolism department, Allan Pacey led the charge in conducting the first-ever double-blind randomized control trial, testing men who consumed the Lycopene compound. Lycopene is the pigment that gives tomatoes their red color and is found mostly in tomatoes as opposed to other fruits and vegetables. 

Men who consumed dietary supplement LactoLycopene saw an increase of 40% in the number of fast swimming and “healthy-shaped” sperm. These results are very encouraging to the potential of new infertility treatments, and the 12-week study has lent itself to providing some very helpful data to men struggling with infertility. Healthy men who consumed what equates to two tablespoons of tomato puree as a supplement daily were found to have higher quality sperm.  

A photo of red tomatoes in a basket.
While the successes of this study are promising, it’s important to remember that there are also lifestyle changes that you can make in the meantime to increase the chances of benefiting the quality of your sperm.  

What Does This Discovery Mean for the Future of Male Infertility?

How can you use tomatoes to aid in your fertility journey?

Of course, there’s no harm in eating spoonfuls of tomato puree every morning, but there are many other ways to add more tomatoes into your diet. The recent findings on Lycopene open up an entire world of possible treatments and/or supplements to help boost male fertility, but there is still much work to be done. Experts will need to expand their trial size and do more in depths testing before a potential Lycopene treatment comes to light.

 In the meantime, it’s important to do what you can to boost your fertility with the tools and advice you’ve received from your doctor or family planning specialist. Eating more tomatoes may not be a surefire way to up your sperm quality, but there’s no harm in trying it out and observing the results. At the end of the day, this is about wanting to conceive and start a family, so whichever path leads you there on your fertility journey is the right one.


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