HHS HealthBeat (June 5, 2007)

Tomatoes

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Can a tomato a day keep prostate cancer at bay? Research indicates it can not.

A study checked whether the antioxidant lycopene, found mainly in tomatoes, might prevent prostate cancer. Dr. Ulrike Peters at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle checked blood levels of lycopene in men with the disease.

"Our study definitely dampens the enthusiasm about using tomato and tomato products to reduce the risk for prostate cancer." (7 seconds)

She found a higher risk of cancer that spread beyond the prostate in men with higher levels of another antioxidant, beta-carotene. But she says the beta-carotene levels tend to be more than what you’d get from food. She’s more concerned about high-dose supplements.

Peters' study in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

Last revised: May 7, 2011