Tomatoes cancer risk

An evaluation of the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (Giovannucci et al., 1995) has detected a lower prostate cancer risk associated with the greater consumption of tomatoes and related food products. Tomatoes are the primary dietary source of lycopene and lycopene concentrations are highest in testis and adrenal tissue (Clinton, 1998). In paired benign and malignant prostate tissue from 25 American men, 53-74 yrs, undergoing... 

GIOVANNUCCI E, RIMM E B, LIU Y, STAMPFER M J and WILLETT w c (2002) A prospective study of tomato products, lycopene and prostate cancer risk , J Natl Cancer Inst, 94, 391-8. 

Carotenoids and prostate cancer — Numerous epidemiological studies including prospective cohort and case-control studies have demonstrated the protective roles of lycopene, tomatoes, and tomato-derived products on prostate cancer risk other carotenoids showed no effects. " In two studies based on correlations between plasma levels or dietary intake of various carotenoids and prostate cancer risk, lycopene appeared inversely associated with prostate cancer but no association was reported for a-carotene, P-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, or p-cryptoxanthin. - Nevertheless, a protective role of all these carotenoids (provided by tomatoes, pumpkin, spinach, watermelon, and citrus fruits) against prostate cancer was recently reported by Jian et al. ... 

Campbell, J.K. et al.. Tomato phytochemicals and prostate cancer risk, J. Nutr., 134, 3486S, 2004. 

Giovannucci, E. 2007. Does prostate-specific antigen screening influence the results of studies of tomatoes, lycopene, and prostate cancer risk 7 Natl Cancer Inst 99(14) 1060-1062. 

Franceschi S, Bidoli E, La Vecchis C, Talamini R, D Avanzo B and Negri E. 1994. Tomatoes and risk of digestive-tract cancers. Int J Cancer 59 181-184. 

Strict liability pools risks by product negligence pools risks by customers. In the case of chemicals, the inefficiencies created by product-specific rather than customer-based insurance vary from product to product. Whereas cancer risks from drinking chlorinated water probably do not vary among users even when care levels differ, cancer risks to infants whose parents spray insecticides on tomato plants probably differ greatly depending on whether the infants are upwind or downwind of the spraying. 

Colorectal cancer Cancers of the colorectum are common in economically developed areas. Five studies have reported on tomato intake in relation to colorectal cancer risk. One study in the U.S. reported statistically significant inverse associations between tomato consumption and colon cancer risk for men and women. 

The Lnvesfigators (Thun ei al., 1992) found that increased vegetable and grain intake was associated with a lower risk for death by colon cancer (Figure 11.12). Most, but not all, of the plant foods were associated with this lower risk. It is curious to point out that there was no association of colon cancer risk with the intake of potatoes and tomatoes. In contrast, most other existing epidemiological studies (50 different studies in all) that addressed all types of cancers (and asked about tomatoes) found that tomatoes have a protective effect (Table 12 in Stein-metz and Potter, 1996). 

Miller EC, Glovannuccl E, Erdman JW, Bahnson R, Schwartz SJ, Clinton SK. Tomato products, lycopene and prostate cancer risk. Urol Clin North Am 2002 29 83-93. 

Tomatoes and/or tomato sauce Prostate, ovarian, gastric, and pancreatic cancer risk... 

In a recent review performed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration including several studies relating tomato consumption and reduced cancer risk, it was concluded that evidences supporting this correlation were very limited [12]. hi the same line, the association of fruits and vegetables intake and the occurrence of coronary heart disease has been questioned [13]. 

In this chapter, we have summarized the potential effects of lycopene in prevention and treatment of cancer. Lycopene intake and plasma levels of lycopene have been inversely associated with cancer risk in most of the case-control studies and animal studies. Clinical trials need to be craiducted to investigate lycopene in prevention of cancer and as an adjunct to standard cancer therapy. Until more data is available regarding lycopene supplementation, it is suggested that the potential health benefits of lycopene can best be achieved through a diet rich in a variety of fruits and vegetables, which include tomatoes. 

Hwang ES and Bowen PE (2002) Can the consumption of tomatoes or lycopene reduce cancer risk Integrative Cancer Therapies 1 121-132. 

Other dietary factors implicated in prostate cancer include retinol, carotenoids, lycopene, and vitamin D consumption.5,6 Retinol, or vitamin A, intake, especially in men older than age 70, is correlated with an increased risk of prostate cancer, whereas intake of its precursor, [3-carotene, has a protective or neutral effect. Lycopene, obtained primarily from tomatoes, decreases the risk of prostate cancer in small cohort studies. The antioxidant vitamin E also may decrease the risk of prostate cancer. Men who developed prostate cancer in one cohort study had lower levels of l,25(OH)2-vitamin D than matched controls, although a prospective study did not support this.2 Clearly, dietary risk factors require further evaluation, but because fat and vitamins are modifiable risk factors, dietary intervention may be promising in prostate cancer prevention. 

Population studies associate tomato consumption with reduced risk to prostate cancer. The most positive associations have come from cohort studies performed before the prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-screening era, and these studies have suggested that the tomato/lycopene effect was the strongest for clinically relevant prostate cancers (Giovannucci 2007). Small human studies have shown in vivo antioxidant effects for tomato products but evidence for lycopene alone is weak (Chen et al. 2001, Porrini and Riso 2000, Riso et al. 2004, Zhao et al. 2006). Animal and tissue culture studies have been... 

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