Tomato Sauces, Rich in Lycopene,
May Reduce Risk of Prostate Cancer

Copyright © 1996 by Jack Challem
Reproduced from The Nutrition Reporter™ newsletter.
All rights reserved.

Diets rich in tomato sauces appear to reduce the risk of prostate cancer, according to a Harvard Medical School study. The most likely reason appears to be tomatoes' high content of lycopene, a red carotenoid related to beta-carotene.

In an ongoing study, Edward Giovannucci, MD, examined the dietary habits and health of 47,894 male health care professionals. Between 1986 and 1992, 812 of the men were diagnosed with prostate cancer. When Giovannucci analyzed 46 vegetables and fruits in the men's diets, he found four foods associated with a low risk of developing prostate cancer: tomato sauce (on spaghetti), pizza (with tomato sauce), tomatoes, and strawberries.

The men who ate the most of these foods were least likely to develop prostate cancer. Those who ate few tomato foods had the highest risk, according to Giovannucci's article in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (Dec 6, 1995;87:1767-76).

Despite their red color, strawberries do not contain lycopene. Their inverse relationship to prostate may have been due to a statistical fluke or to some other nutritional component (such as a flavonoid).
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