Tomatoes foil prostate cancer

A Harvard study based on 48,000 men has just shown that eating tomato sauce a few times a week may reduce chances of prostate cancer.

The previous results on whether consumption of tomato products affects prostate cancer risk were inconsistent. This was because they have concentrated on the amount of lycopene consumed only in tomatoes, lycopene being an antioxidant found in abundance in tomatoes. Antioxidants may help shield against cancer and heart disease by neutralizing harmful molecules known as oxygen free radicals.

In the latest study, the investigators were able to calculate the amount of lycopene consumed daily from all food sources based on questionnaire results.

Men whose average intake of lycopene was 19 milligrams each day had a 16% lower risk of prostate cancer than men who took in 3 milligrams of lycopene daily.

The results were even better among the men who consumed 2 or more servings of tomato sauce each week. This group of men had 23% less chances of developing prostate cancer than those who consumed less than one serving per month.

The associations with lycopene and tomato sauce intake persisted after controlling for fruit and vegetable intake as well as olive oil use.

Source: Journal of the National Cancer Institute March 6, 2002;94:391-398.