{"ok":true,"entry":{"slug":"lycopene","kind":"supplement","name":"lycopene","aliases":["tomato extract"],"brands_sg":["California Gold Nutrition","21st Century","Swanson Vitamins","NOW Foods","Nutricost"],"class":"carotenoid","tags":["mens-health","heart"],"use_for":"sperm-quality markers · blood levels track artery imt","use_after":null,"use_duration":"trials ran 3 months; optimal dose and duration undefined","take_with":null,"pros":["pooled trials: sperm concentration up (smd 0.33)","higher blood lycopene tracked lower carotid imt","that imt link was stronger in men (or 0.62)"],"cons":["only 4 trials, 151 men — publication bias noted","no effect on motility, morphology, volume or dna damage","imt data are cross-sectional blood levels, not trials"],"dose_note":"the pooled fertility trials used 2 to 30 mg a day for three months and the review says the optimal dose and duration are still not well defined; sg listings run 20–25 mg a softgel","dosage":{"ul":null,"unit":"mg","fda_dv":null,"rda_ai":null,"ul_status":"none_established","population":"general adult","hsa_max_daily":null},"ul_status":"none_established","sg_class":null,"cautions":["lycopene is not converted to vitamin a — a vitamin a dv does not apply","the artery findings are associations from blood levels, not supplement trials","not listed in hsa's annex a/b — not the same as cleared"],"clashes":[],"sources":[{"id":"ods_noncaro","url":"https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/","label":"NIH ODS — Vitamin A and Carotenoids (Health Professional): non-provitamin A carotenoids (read from a cached copy of the sheet already on disk)","quote":"Other carotenoids in food, such as lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, are not converted into vitamin A and are referred to as non-provitamin A carotenoids","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"lyc_male_result","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC12346668","label":"Association of Lycopene and Male Reproductive Health: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2025)","quote":"Lycopene supplementation significantly improved sperm concentration (SMD 0.33, 95% CI [0.02–0.65], p = 0.037) and nonprogressive motility (SMD 0.45, 95% CI [0.04–0.87], p = 0.032).","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"lyc_male_n","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC12346668","label":"Lycopene and Male Reproductive Health SR/MA (2025) — evidence base size","quote":"Four clinical studies involving 151 participants were included.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"lyc_male_null","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC12346668","label":"Lycopene and Male Reproductive Health SR/MA (2025) — null outcomes","quote":"No statistically significant effects were observed on total motility, progressive motility, normal or abnormal morphology, semen volume, or DNA damage.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"lyc_male_bias","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC12346668","label":"Lycopene and Male Reproductive Health SR/MA (2025) — limitations","quote":"Sensitivity analyses showed that the findings were generally robust, although publication bias and methodological heterogeneity were noted.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"lyc_male_dose","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC12346668","label":"Lycopene and Male Reproductive Health SR/MA (2025) — doses and duration used","quote":"Lycopene supplementation ranged in dose from 2 mg/day to 30 mg/day, administered over a duration of 3 months in all studies. … The optimal duration and dose of lycopene supplementation are still not well defined.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"lyc_imt_or","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13074833","label":"Circulating Lycopene and β-Carotene Levels Are Inversely Associated with Carotid Intima-Media Thickness: SR and Meta-Analysis (2026; 13 studies, n=9,131)","quote":"High circulating lycopene levels were significantly associated with low IMT (pooled OR = 0.70; 95% CI: 0.59–0.84; I 2 = 65.7%).","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"lyc_imt_men","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13074833","label":"Circulating Lycopene and Carotid IMT SR/MA (2026) — sex difference","quote":"The association was stronger in men (OR = 0.62; 95% CI: 0.45–0.84) than in women (OR = 0.74; 95% CI: 0.58–0.95).","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"lyc_imt_design","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13074833","label":"Circulating Lycopene and Carotid IMT SR/MA (2026) — study design included","quote":"Observational and experimental studies reporting cross-sectional associations between plasma carotenoids and IMT were included.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"hsa_pr_notlisted","url":"https://file.go.gov.sg/hsa-chp-prohibited-restricted-ing-guidelines.pdf","label":"HSA — Guidelines on Prohibited and Restricted Ingredients in Health Supplements and Traditional Medicines, GL-CHPB-1-012 Rev 001 (Oct 2025), Annex A/B — searched, no row for this ingredient","quote":"The objective of this guideline is to highlight the substances of concern when used in HS and TM and is not meant to be an exhaustive list.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"iherb_sg","url":"https://sg.iherb.com/c/lycopene","label":"iHerb Singapore — Lycopene category (default order, 1 - 25 of 25 results)","quote":"California Gold Nutrition, AstaCarotenoid Complex with Lutein, Lycopene, Astaxanthin, and Vitamin A … 21st Century, Lycopene, 25 mg … Swanson Vitamins, Lycopene, 20 mg … NOW Foods, Lycopene, 20 mg … Nutricost, Lycopene, 20 mg","accessed":"2026-08-27"}],"brand_certs":null,"updated_at":"2026-08-29T16:16:24.715168+08:00"},"disclaimer":"kozen-x is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. it lists what published sources have written down. absence of a record is not the same as safe."}