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WEDNESDAY, Dec. 19 (HealthScoutNews) -- Men with a taste for ketchup, tomato juice or pasta sauce may have an extra edge against prostate cancer, suggests a new study. Researchers in Chicago suspect that lycopene, the pigment that gives tomatoes their red color, may reduce damage to DNA linked to prostate cancer, raising its potential as a therapy for this type of tumor. The findings, which appear in the Dec. 19 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, add to a growing body of evidence about lycopene's effects against conditions that include cancer and cardiovascular disease. Text Continues Below
Lycopene is part of a family of pigments called carotenoids, which occur naturally in fruits and vegetables. Venketeshwer Rao, a professor of nutritional sciences who studies lycopene and health at the University of Toronto, says that North Americans get between 85 percent and 90 percent of their dietary lycopene from tomatoes, although it can also be found in foods like watermelon and pink grapefruit. The chemical form of lycopene found in processed tomato-based foods, like pasta sauces and ketchup, is absorbed more efficiently than the lycopene found in fresh tomatoes, says Rao. Lycopene is also a powerful antioxidant that neutralizes harmful oxygen radicals that have been linked to various forms of cancer, including prostate cancer. More than 198,000 American men develop prostate cancer every year and about 31,500 men will die of the disease. Prostate cancer is most common in men over the age of 55, and in the United States, it's roughly twice as common among black men as it is among white men. Early signs include frequent or painful urination or weak urine flow. The disease is detected either by a rectal exam or a blood test showing high levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and confirmed by tests including ultrasound or biopsy. Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | Next >>
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