A compound found in dehydrated tomatoes may help quash prostate
cancer tumours, new animal research suggests. Past studies have come to
conflicting conclusions as to whether tomatoes or lycopene, an
antioxidant found in tomatoes, might offer prostate cancer protection,
with one recent study finding no correlation between men’s blood levels
of lycopene and their risk of prostate cancer.
However, the new findings, reported in the journal Cancer Research,
suggest that the processing of the tomato may be a key factor.
Researchers found that a form of carbohydrate called FruHis, found
in dehydrated tomatoes, appeared to protect rats from developing
prostate tumours. The greatest protection came from dehydrated tomatoes
that had been rehydrated into tomato paste and supplemented with
additional FruHis.
The findings could aid in developing new, less toxic cancer
therapies, said lead researcher Dr Valeri V. Mossine, of the University
of Missouri in Columbia. Mossine and his colleagues divided rats into
four groups: one group was fed a diet of normal chow, while the other
three groups were given chow supplemented with tomato powder, tomato
paste, or tomato paste with added FruHis. All of the animals were
treated with chemicals designed to induce prostate tumours.
Rats on the high-FruHis diet lived longer than the other three
groups. What’s more, the researchers found prostate tumours in only 18%
of these animals after death, compared with 63% of rats given normal
chow, and 43% and 39% of animals given tomato powder and standard
tomato paste, respectively. Looking at FruHis activity in the lab dish,
the researchers found that it might work in two ways. First, the
compound seemed to act like an antioxidant, protecting cells’ DNA from
oxidative damage that can lead to cancer. Then, when combined with
lycopene, FruHis was able to kill off
prostate cancer cells.
So in theory, Mossine explained, FruHis may inhibit the initial development of prostate tumours and,
in concert with lycopene, hinder the growth and spread of such tumours.
It’s too soon, however, for men to start eating tomato paste in the
hopes of thwarting prostate cancer. “The most important next step would
be conducting trials on humans,” Mossine said. Further lab work, he
added, could also shed light on whether there are other compounds in
dried vegetables or fruits that “work along” with FruHis.
“In my opinion, this study will make the cancer research community
aware of a novel type of potential antioxidant and chemo-preventive
agent that may arise as a result of food processing,” Mossine said.
“Hopefully, it will help to attract more attention and support to the prostate cancer prevention research area.” – Reuters
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