Tomato Sauce and Prostate Cancer

It has been shown from several studies that tomatoes and tomato products have anti-prostate cancer properties. This is especially so in the case of tomato sauce.

An exciting new study has now reported that tomato sauce is also effective against existing prostate cancer. Researchers at the University of Illinois had conducted a study on 32 patients with prostate cancer who were due to undergo a radical prostatectomy. These participants had their lycopene, PSA (prostate specific antigen) as well as DNA oxidative damage (in leucocytes) levels measured at the start of the study.

The participants were then put on a diet of a pasta dish with tomato sauce daily for three weeks. The tomato sauce consists of of a cup of commercial spaghetti sauce, making up 30 mg of lycopene intake daily. After 3 weeks, they were tested once again.

The researchers found that the participants displayed an average of a 17.5% drop in PSA levels, from 10.9 ng/mL to 8.7 ng/mL. Lycopene levels in the blood plasma doubled, and tripled in the prostate tissue. The DNA damage level in actual prostate tissue (removed during surgery) was found to be 28.3% lower in the tomato sauce group than in a reference group of seven prostate cancer patients who had not consumed the tomato sauce diet.

Source: Chen, Longwen, et al. Oxidative DNA damage in prostate cancer patients consuming tomato sauce-based entrees as a whole-food intervention. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 93, December 19, 2001, pp. 1872-79.