August 28, 2014 - Blog
Men who eat more than 10 portions of tomatoes per week have an 18 percent lower risk of developing prostate cancer, likely due to lycopene, an antioxidant found in tomatoes.
With 35,000 new cases every year in the United Kingdom, and around 10,000 deaths, prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men worldwide. Rates are higher in developed countries, which some experts believe is linked to a Westernized diet and lifestyle.
To assess if following dietary and lifestyle recommendations reduces risk of prostate cancer, researchers at the Universities of Bristol, Cambridge and Oxford looked at the diets and lifestyle of 1,806 men ages 50 to 69 years with prostate cancer and compared with 12,005 cancer-free men.
The study, published in the medical journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, is the first of its kind to develop a prostate cancer “dietary index" which consists of dietary components—selenium, calcium and foods rich in lycopene—that have been linked to prostate cancer.
Men who had optimal intake of these three dietary components had a lower risk of prostate cancer. Tomatoes and its products—such as tomato juice and baked beans—were shown to be most beneficial, with an 18-percent reduction in risk found in men who eat more than 10 portions a week.
Researchers suspect these benefits can be attributed lycopene, an antioxidant which fights off toxins that can cause DNA and cell damage.
In addition to its health benefits, lycopene can be used to color food and beverage products. Specifically, two color ingredients are derived from tomato lycopene—tomato lycopene extract and tomato lycopene concentrate.
What's more, using lycopene to color products can also aid manufacturers who are interested in producing clean-label products—not only is lycopene exempt from certification, per FDA, but consumers have also began identifying lycopene with its health benefits, making it easy to recognize on product labels. For an in-depth look at natural color options, check out this FoodTech Toolbox Gallery: A Look at Natural Colors.
Men who eat more than 10 portions of tomatoes per week have an 18 percent lower risk of developing prostate cancer, likely due to lycopene, an antioxidant found in tomatoes.
With 35,000 new cases every year in the United Kingdom, and around 10,000 deaths, prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men worldwide. Rates are higher in developed countries, which some experts believe is linked to a Westernized diet and lifestyle.
To assess if following dietary and lifestyle recommendations reduces risk of prostate cancer, researchers at the Universities of Bristol, Cambridge and Oxford looked at the diets and lifestyle of 1,806 men ages 50 to 69 years with prostate cancer and compared with 12,005 cancer-free men.
The study, published in the medical journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, is the first of its kind to develop a prostate cancer “dietary index" which consists of dietary components—selenium, calcium and foods rich in lycopene—that have been linked to prostate cancer.
Men who had optimal intake of these three dietary components had a lower risk of prostate cancer. Tomatoes and its products—such as tomato juice and baked beans—were shown to be most beneficial, with an 18-percent reduction in risk found in men who eat more than 10 portions a week.
Researchers suspect these benefits can be attributed lycopene, an antioxidant which fights off toxins that can cause DNA and cell damage.
In addition to its health benefits, lycopene can be used to color food and beverage products. Specifically, two color ingredients are derived from tomato lycopene—tomato lycopene extract and tomato lycopene concentrate.
What's more, using lycopene to color products can also aid manufacturers who are interested in producing clean-label products—not only is lycopene exempt from certification, per FDA, but consumers have also began identifying lycopene with its health benefits, making it easy to recognize on product labels. For an in-depth look at natural color options, check out this FoodTech Toolbox Gallery: A Look at Natural Colors.
