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August 29, 2001 |
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Fresh evidence that tomato sauce helps fight prostate cancer CHICAGO -- Aug. 29, 2001 (Cancer Digest) -- Another new study provides further evidence that lycopene, a chemical found in abundance in tomato sauce, may help prevent or slow the development of prostate cancer in men who have been diagnosed with the disease. The study, also provides evidence that lycopene may benefit African-American men who, as a group, have the highest incidence of prostate cancer in the world but are often underrepresented in clinical studies. Researchers at the University of Illinois in Chicago reported today the results of the small study of 32 men newly diagnosed with prostate cancer at the 222nd national meeting of the American Chemical Society. While it is the first study to link the effect of tomato sauce consumption to a reduction of human DNA damage, considered a marker for increased cancer risk, the research team led by Dr. Phyllis Bowen, a nutritionist at the university and lead investigator in the study, cautions against drawing a direct link to cancer. "This study does not say that tomato sauce reduces cancer," Bowen said in a press release. "It says that it reduces DNA damage that we think is associated with cancer." Researchers fed 32 volunteers, including 24 blacks, with newly diagnosed prostate cancer three-fourths cup of tomato sauce daily for three weeks. In addition to causing significant reductions in DNA damage to prostate cancer cells and leukocytes (white blood cells), the diet resulted in reduced blood levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA), a protein marker of prostate cancer. Although further studies are needed to determine whether reduced DNA damage is actually protective in healthy individuals who eat tomato sauce, the current study suggests that eating extra tomato sauce - perhaps by consuming more pizza, pasta or spaghetti - may be beneficial to some, especially to those at high risk for prostate cancer, says Bowen. As a group, African-American men have approximately a 34 percent higher rate of prostate cancer, and are twice as likely to die from it, than white men. The reasons are not clearly understood, but diet and genetics are believed to be factors. Based on animal research and human population studies, researchers suspect that diets rich in tomato sauce may reduce the risk of prostate cancer. A lower incidence of prostate cancer has been reported among men in Mediterranean countries, including Italy and Greece, where tomato consumption is considered high. Researchers believe that lycopene, a red pigment with high antioxidant potential, is the most likely agent involved in this effect. Tomatoes contain more lycopene than any other commonly consumed food, but tomato products vary in lycopene content. Tomatoes cooked in oil, such as tomato sauce, are believed to have the highest benefit, as cooking breaks down cell walls to release more lycopene, while oil is thought to enhance the absorption of the fat-soluble chemical. Besides tomatoes, other foods contain significant amounts of lycopene, including pink grapefruit and watermelon. Prostate cancer is the second most common form of cancer in men in the United States, accounting for one-fourth of all newly diagnosed cancer cases among men. The prostate is the walnut-sized gland, located below a man's bladder, that secretes the seminal fluid. Hunt-Wesson, Inc., a food manufacturer whose products include tomato-based products, provided funding for this study. |
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