In recent years, there has been a growing body of evidence to suggest that tomatoes may reduce the risk of prostate cancer. However, new research suggests that the cancer-preventing properties of the red fruit vary widely depending upon how they are consumed.
Researchers at the University of Missouri fed rats injected with prostate cancer-causing chemicals either a control diet or a diet that included one of several different types of tomato products, including tomato paste, tomato powder, or tomato paste plus FruHis – an organic carbohydrate present in dehydrated tomato products.
Results showed that rats fed the tomato paste plus FruHis lived the longest (51 weeks), closely followed by those fed the tomato powder (50 weeks), and those fed the tomato paste (45 weeks). In comparison, rats fed the control diet survived, on average, for just 40 weeks. Furthemore, postmortem examination revealed that prostate tumors were present in just 10% of rats fed both tomato paste and FruHis, compared with 30% of rats fed tomato powder, 25% of rats fed tomato paste alone, and 60% of rats fed the control diet.
“Processing of many edible plants through heating, grinding, mixing or drying dramatically increases their nutrition value, including their cancer prevention potential. It appears that the greatest protective effect from tomatoes comes by rehydrating tomato powder into tomato paste,” said study leader Valeri V. Mossine, Ph.D. “Before this study, researchers attributed the protective effect of tomatoes to ascorbic acid, carotenoids, or phenolic compounds. FruHis may represent a novel type of potential dietary antioxidant. Experiments like these suggest that a combination of FruHis and lycopene should be investigated as a potential therapeutic anti-tumor agent, not just a prevention strategy.”
Mossine VV, Chopra P, Mawhinney TP. Experimental Therapeutics, Molecular Targets, and Chemical Biology. Cancer Research. 2008;68:4384-4391. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-08-0108
News release: Dehydrated tomatoes show promise for preventing prostate cancer. American Association for Cancer Research. May 29th 2008.
