Lycopene, the active ingredient of tomatoes, may not reduce the risk of prostate cancer, according to animal studies.

Previous studies have shown that eating tomato based products - ketchup, pasta sauce and so on - may help reduce the risk of prostate cancer. It's thought that lycopene, the substance that makes tomatoes red and is a powerful antioxidant, is responsible for the benefits of tomatoes.

But when lab rats with prostate cancer were fed lycopene powder, no benefits were seen. The work was done by researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center. They compared lycopene-fed rats with animals fed tomato powder, including seeds and skin, and rats fed a control diet. Those on the tomato powder had a 26 per cent reduced risk of dying of prostate cancer, and a 32 per cent reduced risk if their diet was also calorie-restricted.

The study shows that taking a pill is usually not the answer to preventing disease. A healthy, varied and balanced diet is far more likely to produce benefits. If you want the benefits of lycopene - eat tomatoes!

Source

Journal of the National Cancer Institute 4th November 2003