Lycopene and green tea supplements

[farrah123]

I'm new to this group. My dad was diagnosed last Thursday w/ ext. sclc. I've heard about watermelon being good b/c of the Lycopene, but the doc and nurses say no fresh fruits or vegetables b/c of the bacteria they may have. I also heard green tea is very good. My dad doesn't really like green tea. He does like watermelon though. However, I'm having a hard time finding a whole watermelon at this time of year and yesterday, I found lycopene supplements and green tea supplements are whole foods market. Of course, we will ask the doctor about this, but I was just wondering if any one has tried the supplements and/or have heard they would help. Thanks.

[Ry]

Tomato sauce, tomato paste, and ketchup are good sources of lycopene and won't hurt your dad. There are several flavored green tea brands that he may like.

[farrah123]

Thank you so much for your responses. My mom called the onc's office today to ask about lycopene & green tea. He said there have been studies shown that they can prevent certain cancers, however, once you have cancer, it doesn't help. I started thinking that green tea is listed to help stop the spread of free radicals which damage cells. I realized we don't want him to have anything that may counteract the chemo. I don't know, maybe I'm overthinking it. Once the cancer is gone (I have faith) then it may be a better idea to use the supplements then. Right now, maybe it's better to concentrate on keeping him plump. He had a huge appetite before this. It's not as big now, but he's still eating well. It's just so many things to think about. My family and I want to do everything we can to help my dad beat this, but there are no perfect answers or remedies or medicines you can buy to treat something like this. I won't give up or stop searching though!!!!

[Welthy]

Farrah,

Your question hit a chord with me. My friend had SCLC and she was a big fan of cold green tea drinks. Her Onc. said no more green tea. He told her to strictly limit the amount or better yet, cut it out altogether. Ours gave the same reponse when we asked about Nona juice for my husband. I guess the theory is that they can undermine the chemo by making it less toxic to the cancer. There are those who will dispute this.

Bottom line is the ONLY thing you should do is to check with the oncologist and follow his/her recommendations.

Best of luck,

Welthy