Prostate Cancer, Particularly In Black Men
August 30, 2001
CHICAGO (American Chemical Society) -- A new study involving African-American men - who as a group have the highest incidence of prostate cancer in the world - provides further evidence that lycopene, a chemical
found in abundance in tomato sauce, may help prevent or slow the development of the disease. The clinical study was reported at the 222nd national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.
It is also the first to link the effect of tomato sauce consumption to a reduction of human DNA damage, considered a marker for increased cancer risk, according to the researchers. Researchers at the University of Illinois in Chicago fed 32 volunteers with newly diagnosed prostate cancer three-fourths cup of tomato sauce daily for three weeks. The majority of the subjects (24) were black. In addition to causing significant reductions in DNA damage to prostate cancer cells and leukocytes (white blood cells), the treatment resulted in reduced blood levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA), a protein whose increased levels are strongly linked to a higher prostate cancer risk, according to the researchers.
Researchers believe that lycopene, a red pigment with high antioxidant potential, is the most likely agent involved in this effect. Tomatoes contain more lycopene than any other commonly consumed food, but tomato
products vary in lycopene content. Tomatoes cooked in oil, such as tomato sauce, are believed to have the highest benefit, as cooking breaks down cell walls to release more lycopene, while oil is thought to enhance the
absorption of the fat-soluble chemical.
