Nutrition Stop - Mens Health - Tomatoes for Prostate Cancer

Tomatoes May Lower Prostate Cancer Risk

New research suggests that eating more tomatoes and tomato-based products that contain lycopene may be a positive step in reducing prostate cancer risk. A recent research review and a new study at the University of Illinois and Westside Veterans' Administration Medical Center complement an earlier study which demonstrated a reduction in prostate cancer tumor size in subjects that consumed Lyc-O-Mato tomato extract prior to prostate surgery. A new review of research from Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health investigated the effects of tomato-based products and tomato lycopene on prostate cancer. The study found that five epidemiological studies support a statistically significant 30 to 40 percent reduction in prostate cancer risk. A dietary study was conducted in which male health professionals consumed between two and four servings of tomato sauce per week. The risk reduction was found to be 35 percent overall and 50 percent for advanced cases. In another study, lycopene levels in the prostate tissues were increased and PSA levels were decreased. The study included 3 men with localized prostate cancer who ate pasta and tomato sauce for three weeks before they had a radical prostatectomy. A reduction in DNA damage in both leukocyte (white blood cell) and prostate tissue was observed.