Tomatoes lower risk of prostate cancer, study says
Key points
- A diet rich in tomato-based foods can lower the risk of prostate cancer, according to a new study that supports earlier research.
- Researchers analyzed the food choices and prostate-cancer histories of more than 47,000 men.
- Those who ate at least two meals a week containing tomato products lowered their risk of prostate cancer 24 to 36 percent.
- Edward Giovannucci of Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Harvard School of Public Health, the lead author of the study, said it supports previous research involving foods, particularly tomato products, that are high in lycopene, an anti-oxidant.
WASHINGTON — A diet rich in tomato-based foods can lower the risk of prostate cancer, according to a new study that supports earlier research.
Researchers analyzed the food choices and prostate-cancer histories of more than 47,000 men. Those who ate at least two meals a week containing tomato products lowered their risk of prostate cancer 24 to 36 percent.
Dr. Edward Giovannucci of Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Harvard School of Public Health, the lead author of the study, said it supports previous research involving foods, particularly tomato products, that are high in lycopene, an anti-oxidant.
Lycopene is thought to protect against cancer by absorbing oxygen free radicals, chemicals created during metabolism that can damage cells' genetic structure.
The study is being published in today's Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Written and revised by
David Cohen, M.D.
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