Lycopene and Selenium: what the published research says
PubMed indexes 8 records that name Lycopene and Selenium together, either in the title or in an interaction, co-administration, or pharmacokinetic context. Each one is listed below with its study design and, where the abstract states one, the authors’ own conclusion, quoted and linked. This page reports that literature. It does not tell you whether to combine them.
Every statement below is attributed to a named, dated, linked source.
This page lists published research relevant to Lycopene and Selenium. It deliberately does not state whether the combination is safe, whether it interacts, in which direction, at what dose, or how far apart to take them.
A study appearing here is not proof that an interaction exists. Two substances can be named together in a paper that never tested them in combination, and a source listed as background may cover only one of them.
Findings are quoted from each abstract as the authors wrote them. NutriStack has not re-analysed, pooled, or reconciled them, and they may disagree with each other.
NutriStack’s own interaction assessment for this pair is not published here. It has not completed qualified-human clinical review, so it is withheld from search. See the publication gate.
Nothing here is medical advice. Decisions about prescription medication and supplements belong with your prescriber or pharmacist, who can see your full regimen.
The research
8 studies naming Lycopene and Selenium.
Strongest relevance first: papers naming both substances in the title, then human trials and systematic reviews.
European review for medical and pharmacological sciences · 2019 · PMID 31002161
Systematic ReviewHuman subjects
“By triggering multiple inflammatory and oxidative pathways, the combined administration of SrE, selenium and lycopene might likely improve the sperm quality. Proper studies are needed to test this hypothesis. Finally, since prostatitis can affect the sperm quality and considering the anti-estrogenic properties of SrE, we speculate about a possible specific indication in those patients with male infertility and "metabolic" prostatitis (where obesity and abnormal…”
“SeR-Se-Ly could be a valid alternative to dutasteride, providing comparable effects on symptoms related to LUTS/BPH and avoiding sexual dysfunctions. SeR-Se-Ly should not be substituted for dutasteride in those patients for whom prostate volume reduction is desired.”
“The frequency of NBuds was significantly higher (p < 0.0001) in PC patients who had low levels of both selenium and lycopene compared to (i) controls with low levels of both selenium and lycopene and (ii) PC patients with high levels of both selenium and lycopene (p = 0.0001).”
International journal of molecular sciences · 2023 · PMID 37686330
Human subjects
“Therefore, the nutraceutical association of lycopene plus Se might be considered a possible therapeutic tool, together with surgery, in the treatment of male infertility. However, long-term experimental and clinical studies are necessary to evaluate sperm quantity and quality.”
Current medicinal chemistry · 2013 · PMID 23432584
ReviewHuman subjects
Names both Lycopene and Selenium in its title.
Limitations
What this evidence cannot tell you.
Search-based evidence indexes have real limits, and it is worth being explicit about them:
Selection. These records were found by searching PubMed titles and abstracts for both substance names alongside interaction and pharmacokinetic terms. Relevant work that phrases things differently, or is not indexed in PubMed, will be missing.
No effect size. The quoted conclusions are the authors’ words about their own study. We have not extracted effect direction or magnitude, and a single study’s conclusion is not a consensus.
Population mismatch. Findings in healthy volunteers, animals, or a specific patient group may not transfer to you, your dose, or your formulation.
Absence is not safety. Few published studies means the combination is under-studied, which is not the same as established as safe.
Nearby evidence
Other pairs with published research.
Pages covering Lycopene or Selenium alongside a different substance.
NutriStack is a free iPhone app for organising a supplement routine: what you take, when, and what the published record says about it. Its exploratory interaction checker covers Lycopene, Selenium, and several hundred other substances.
The checker is a research and organisation tool, not a clinical decision aid, and its per-pair assessments are excluded from search until they pass claim-level review.
NutriStack is an informational and organizational tool, not a medical service, and not a substitute for professional advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before starting, stopping, or changing any supplement or medication.
