Tomatoes: A Powerful Prostate Protector

Tomatoes: A Powerful Prostate Protector

Sauce, soup and juice your way to a healthier prostate

by Kelley Herring

Eating more tomatoes is one of the tasty steps men can take to promote a healthier prostate.

According to the results from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study - an 8 year prospective study of more than 47,000 health professionals - those getting the most lycopene in their diet had a 21% reduced risk of prostate cancer compared with those getting the least. And participants eating the most tomatoes and tomato products (which accounted for 82% of total lycopene intake) had a 35% reduced risk of prostate cancer and a 53% reduced risk of aggressive prostate cancer than those with the lowest intakes.

While lycopene is a potent free-radical fighter, researchers have recently discovered a new way that it may protect the prostate. And like many other chronic diseases it has to do with inflammation. In a rececent study published in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology journal, researchers found that lycopene reduced androgens as well as inflammatory factors including cytokines like IGF-1 -both which contribute to the growth and development of prostate cancer.

To get the most benefits of lycopene, try these tomato tricks. First, cooked tomato products are higher in lycopene, so tomato paste, tomato juice and tomato sauce are better ways to up the potency of this protector. And second, lycopene is lipophilic -or fat loving - meaning your body will get more benefit if you eat it wil some healthy fat like olive oil.

Giovannucci E, Ascherio A, Rimm EB, Stampfer MJ, Colditz GA, Willett WC. Intake of carotenoids and retinol in relation to risk of prostate cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1995;87(23):1767-1776. Jian L, Du CJ, Lee AH, Binns CW. Do dietary lycopene and other carotenoids protect against prostate cancer? Int J Cancer. 2005 Mar 1;113(6):1010-4.Herzog A, Siler U, Spitzer V, Seifert N, Denelavas A, Hunziker PB, Hunziker W,Goralczyk R, Wertz K.Lycopene reduced gene expression of steroid targets and inflammatory markers in

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