| It sounds more than a little unlikely, but scientists at | | | | - Lasagna, and |
| the National Institutes of Health and three major | | | | - Spaghetti, |
| universities have found that the lycopene in fresh | | | | But more was not necessarily better. In fact, about |
| tomatoes does little or nothing to prevent prostate | | | | one serving a week seemed to offer the most |
| cancer, while spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, and | | | | protection against cancer. Why would this be? |
| lasagna do. | | | | Lycopene dissolves in fat, not water. Oils and fats |
| Scientists have known for a number of years that | | | | carry this important plant compound to the lining of |
| consumption of tomato products seems to be | | | | the colon where it can be absorbed, but watery |
| associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer, | | | | foods simply pass through without entering the body. |
| but the findings are not consistent. Sometimes | | | | Lycopene in raw tomatoes is a trans- isomer. |
| tomatoes seem to help, and sometimes they don't, | | | | Basically, this means there is just one point on the |
| although overall the studies hint at a reduction of | | | | molecule where a human cell can "grab" it and move |
| prostate cancer risk of as much as 20 per cent in | | | | it inside. |
| men who consume the most of this commonly | | | | But the same molecule in cooked tomatoes is a cis- |
| consumed vegetable. The National Institutes of | | | | isomer. This means there are two points on the |
| Health took a closer look at just which forms of the | | | | molecule where it can be attracted to a cell. It is |
| vegetable are most effective. | | | | easier for the body to absorb lycopene if the tomato |
| The National Institutes of Health followed over | | | | has been cooked a long time (as in sauce) or at high |
| 30,000 men in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and | | | | temperature (as in pizza). Additionally, mashing and |
| Ovarian Trial. Cancer-free men aged 55 to 74 were | | | | cooking the tomato bursts the cell walls of the |
| given PSA tests when they entered the study and | | | | tomato so that it is more thoroughly released. |
| then follow-up blood work and digital (finger) | | | | Cooking makes the healing plant compound easier for |
| examinations every year for four years. They were | | | | the body to take in. |
| also queried about all the foods they ate on a daily, | | | | There are limits, of course, to how much spaghetti, |
| weekly, and monthly basis. | | | | lasagna, and pizza are really cancer-preventive, |
| The scientists learned that the most lycopene was to | | | | especially since they are usually prepared with high |
| be found in: | | | | amounts of saturated fat. In the National Institutes |
| - Tomato juice, and | | | | of Health study, this was about once a week. |
| - Tomato sauce. | | | | Other studies have found little or no benefit for |
| And the men in the study consumed more sauce | | | | lycopene supplements in preventing prostate cancer. |
| than any other product. | | | | The protection comes from real tomatoes, cooked, |
| The greatest protection against prostate cancer, | | | | but consumed in moderation. And the reduction in risk |
| however, was found with consumption of: | | | | is 10 to 20 per cent. |
| - Pizza, | | | | |