Tomatoes cut cancer risk - prostate cancer - Brief Article

Tomayto or tomahto? Fruit or vegetable? However you pronounce them or classify them, they're good for you. Even a moderate intake of tomatoes can cut the risk of prostate cancer by more than a third, according to a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston analyzed the medical histories of more than 47,000 men. The investigators concluded that those who consumed tomato products at least twice a week lowered their risk of prostate cancer by 24 percent to 36 percent.

Cooked products such as tomato sauce and ketchup offered the highest protection, possibly because they allow the body to absorb more lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that prevents free radicals from damaging the genetic structure of cells. (Lycopene is also found in guavas, watermelons, pink grapefruit and paprika.)

An earlier Harvard analysis found that men who ate 10 servings of tomatoes a week reduced their prostate-cancer risk by 45 percent.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group