Colon Health

Prostate Health

Tomatoes have been shown to be helpful in reducing the risk of prostate cancer. A 14-month study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Instituteunderscores the importance of a healthy whole foods diet rich intomatoes in the prevention of prostate cancer. In this study,laboratory animals fed a lycopene-rich diet and treated withN-methyl-N-nitrosourea (a carcinogen) and testosterone to induceprostate cancer had a similar risk of death from prostate cancer asrats fed a control diet. In contrast, animals fed whole tomato powderwere 26% less likely to die of prostate cancer. By the end of thestudy, 80% of the control group and 72% of the animals fed lycopene hadsuccumbed to prostate cancer, while only 62% of the animals fed wholetomato powder had died.

In addition to the controls and those animals receiving lycopene ortomato powder, each group was also divided into two sub-groups, one ofwhich was given 20% less food than the other sub-group. Animals on theenergy-restricted, tomato-based diet fared best of all, showing a 32%drop in their risk of dying from prostate cancer.

Researchers concluded this was due to the fact that tomatoescontain not merely lycopene, but a variety of protective phytonutrientsand suggest that the lycopene found in human prostate tissue and theblood of animals and humans who remain free of prostate cancer mayindicate exposure to higher amounts of not just lycopene but othercompounds working in synergy with it. Study leader, Dr. Steven Clinton,Ohio State University, commented, "Our findings strongly suggest thatrisks of poor dietary habits cannot be reversed simply by taking apill…if we want the health benefits of tomatoes, we should eat tomatoesor tomato products and not rely on lycopene supplements alone."In an accompanying editorial, Peter H. Gann, of the Robert H. LurieComprehensive Cancer Center at Northwestern University in Chicago, andFrederick Khachik, of the University of Maryland, College Park,remarked that this study supports those who advocate whole foods in thedebate about whether cancer prevention is best achieved with wholefoods or concentrated single compounds. They point out that carotenoidsand other phytonutrients evolved as sets of interacting compounds, andthat this complexity limits the usefulness of reductionist approachesthat seek to identify single protective compounds.

More Studies Show Tomatoes Promote Prostate Health

A meta-analysis of 21 studies published in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Preventionconfirms that eating tomatoes, especially cooked tomatoes, providesprotection against prostate cancer. (Meta-analyses are considered thegold standard in medical research since, by combining the results ofnumerous studies, they integrate the results that occurred in differentsettings and include a much larger group of people, so they are thoughtto provide a more accurate assessment.)When the data from all 21 studies was combined, men who ate the highestamounts of raw tomatoes were found to have an 11% reduction in risk forprostate cancer. Those eating the most cooked tomato products faredeven better with a 19% reduction in prostate cancer risk. Even eatingjust one 6-ounce serving a day of raw tomato provided some benefit-areduction in prostate cancer risk of 3%.

Pancreatic Health

One of the deadliest cancers, pancreatic cancer progresses sorapidly that individuals with the disease who are participating instudies often die before their interviews can be completed-so thebenefits noted in the following study of a diet rich in tomatoes andtomato-based products are especially significant.

In this 3-year Canadian study, published in the Journal of Nutrition,individuals with pancreatic cancer were age and gender matched withindividuals free of the disease. After adjustment for age, province,body mass index, smoking, educational attainment, dietary folate andtotal caloric intake, the data showed men consuming the most lycopenehad a 31% reduction in their risk of pancreatic cancer.Among persons who had never smoked, those whose diets were richest inbeta carotene or total carotenoids reduced their risk of pancreaticcancer by 43% and 42%, respectively.

How Tomatoes Promote Optimal Health

Research by Dr. Joseph Levy and colleagues from Ben-GurionUniversity of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel, may have identified theunique mechanism through which lycopene protects against cancer:activating cancer-preventive phase II enzymes.When the researchers incubated breast and liver cancer cells withlycopene, the carotenoid triggered the production and activity ofcertain phase II detoxification enzymes that other carotenoids,including beta-carotene, astaxanthin, and phytoene, did not. Since muchepidemiological evidence indicates that lycopene acts synergisticallywith other phytonutrients to give tomatoes their protective effects,and recent studies have shown that eating tomato products preventscancer more effectively than taking lycopene alone, the researchersconcluded that other carotenoids stimulate phase II enzymes viadifferent pathways from that used by lycopene.

Tomato Juices May Reduce Blood-Clotting Tendencies

Tomato juice can reduce the tendency toward blood clotting, suggests Australian research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.In this study, 20 people with type 2 diabetes were given 250 ml (about8 ounces) of tomato juice or a tomato-flavored placebo daily. Subjectshad no history of clotting problems and were taking no medications thatwould affect blood clotting ability.

After just 3 weeks, platelet aggregation (the clumping togetherof blood cells) was significantly reduced among those drinking realtomato juice, while no such effect was noted in those receivingplacebo.

In an interview, lead researcher Sherri Lazarus explained,"Diabetes is a multi-faceted disease with problems such as glucoseintolerance, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and hightriglycerides, and the less talked about hyperactive platelets.

Platelets are the parts of blood responsible for thepreservation of healthy blood vessels. When the health of blood vesselsis impaired, as in the case of diabetes, platelets stick to the liningof the vessel wall, which, over time, can lead to the development ofcardiovascular disease. Aggregation is the clumping together andclotting of platelets. We looked at how susceptible the platelets wereto clotting before and after the people with type 2 diabetes had takentomato juice."

Although dietary strategies have been developed to addressother known cardiovascular risk factors, currently there is no dietarystrategy aimed at reducing high platelet activity. For persons withtype 2 diabetes, tomato juice may be just what the doctor should order.While of special benefit for those with type 2 diabetes who are atincreased risk of cardiovascular disease, the blood thinning effects oftomato juice are noteworthy for anyone at higher risk of blood clotformation. Persons with high cholesterol, those whose work involvestraveling long distances, who have recently undergone a surgicalprocedure or who smoke would benefit. But be sure to choose alow-sodium tomato juice; many "regular" tomato juice products areloaded with artery-unfriendly sodium.

Protection Due to Synergy of Tomato's Nutrients, Not Just Lycopene

Recent research clearly shows that tomatoes' protective effectsagainst prostate cancer and cardiovascular disease are due not simplyto their lycopene content, but result from the synergy of lycopene withother phytonutrients naturally present in whole tomatoes.

In addition to an animal study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institutethat found whole tomato powder was significantly more effective thanlycopene alone in preventing the onset of prostate cancer (summarizedunder prostate cancer) other research is now demonstrating that lycopene may play only a minor role in tomatoes' heart health benefits.

Animal research from Japan, published in the British Journal of Nutrition,suggests that a tomato-rich diet-which they call an anti-thromboticdiet-is a convenient and effective way to prevent thrombotic diseasessuch as heart attack and stroke.

Research conducted by Howard Sesso and colleagues from the HarvardSchool of Public Health shows that women who consume the mosttomato-containing products, particularly concentrated foods such astomato sauce and pizza, have a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.

Sesso and his team analyzed the results of a prospective cohortstudy of almost 40,000 middle-aged and older women who completed foodfrequency questionnaires over a 7.2 year period. At the beginning ofthe study, all participants were free of cardiovascular disease. Duringthe study, 719 of the women developed cardiovascular disease. AfterSesso et al. controlled for factors such as age, smoking,family history and other health indicators, the data revealed thatwomen who consumed seven to ten servings of tomato-based foods eachweek (tomato juice, tomato sauce, pizza) had a 32% lower risk ofdeveloping cardiovascular disease than women who ate less than 1.5servings of these tomato products each week.Sesso et al. had decided to do this study to see if lycopene,a carotenoid abundant in tomatoes that other research has linked to areduced risk of prostate cancer, was also associated with a reductionin cardiovascular disease risk. In this study, however, whileconsumption of tomato products, particularly tomato sauce and pizza,provided cardiovascular protection, dietary lycopene intake alone wasnot strongly associated with a reduction heart disease risk. Theresearchers theorize that other phytonutrients found in oil-basedtomato products in addition to lycopene are responsible for thecardiovascular benefits seen.