Scientific News  Health care Other illnesses and advices STUDY PROVIDES NEW EVIDENCE THAT CHEMICAL IN TOMATO SAUCE MAY HELP FIGHT PROSTATE CANCER, PARTICULARLY IN BLACK MEN
STUDY PROVIDES NEW EVIDENCE THAT CHEMICAL IN
TOMATO SAUCE MAY HELP FIGHT PROSTATE CANCER, PARTICULARLY IN BLACK MEN
 A new study involving African-American men —
who as a group have the highest incidence of prostate cancer in the world —
provides further evidence that lycopene, a chemical found in abundance in tomato
sauce, may help prevent or slow the development of the disease. The clinical
study was reported 29/08 at the 222nd national meeting of the American Chemical
Society, the world’s largest scientific society.
The study focuses primarily on black men, who are
often underrepresented as clinical subjects. It is also the first to link the
effect of tomato sauce consumption to a reduction of human DNA damage,
considered a marker for increased cancer risk, according to the researchers.
Researchers at the University of Illinois in
Chicago fed 32 volunteers with newly diagnosed prostate cancer three-fourths cup
of tomato sauce daily for three weeks. The majority of the subjects (24) were
black. In addition to causing significant reductions in DNA damage to prostate
cancer cells and leukocytes (white blood cells), the treatment resulted in
reduced blood levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA), a protein whose
increased levels are strongly linked to a higher prostate cancer risk, according
to the researchers.
"This study does not say that tomato sauce
reduces cancer," cautions Phyllis E. Bowen, Ph.D., a nutritionist at the
university and lead investigator in the study. "It says that it reduces DNA
damage that we think is associated with 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.
Researchers have known for a few years, based on
animal studies and epidemiological data, 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. In general, diets
that are high in fats and low in fruits and vegetables are thought to increase
the risk of prostate cancer, while diets that are low in fats and high in fruits
and vegetables are thought to lower the risk.
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.
The exact causes of prostate cancer are not known,
although genetic factors have been implicated in its development as have an
increase in levels of certain hormones, including the male hormone androgen.
Whether it can be prevented or controlled using dietary intervention remains the
focus of intense study.
Yearly prostate exams are currently recommended,
especially for older men, as the risk increases dramatically with age.
Researchers are continuing to work on new ways to screen for prostate cancer in
the hope that early detection might save lives.
Hunt-Wesson, Inc., a food manufacturer whose
products include tomato-based goods, provided funding for this study.
###
The paper on this research, AGFD 129, will be
presented at 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, August 29, at McCormick Place South, Room
S504D, Level 5, during the symposium, "Diet and Prevention of
Gender-Related Cancers."
Phyllis E. Bowen, Ph.D., R.D., is an associate
professor in the department of nutrition at the University of Illinois at
Chicago.
Contact:
Source of the given news and the copyrights
belong to a American
Chemical Society
Publishing date: September 10, 2001
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