Cooked Tomatoes Help Fight Prostate Cancer [Study]

The chemical that helps turn tomatoes red could also help fight prostate cancer according a new study of lycopene.

Researchers found that lycopene has been shown to stop cancer cells from attaching to blood supply. The study also found that the process can delay the cells’ growth and possibly kill those cells off completely.

One of the British researchers involved in the study tells the Telegraph:

“‘This simple chemical reaction was shown to occur at lycopene concentrations that can easily be achieved by eating processed tomatoes.”

While all red vegetables contain lycopene the research found that tomatoes which have been processed contain a more potent version of the chemical.

More information is still needed to determine if the lab reaction also occurs in the human body.

“Individuals will vary in how much lycopene their bodies make available to fight cancer cell growth, and the ability of lycopene to ‘intercept’ in this way in the body is likely to vary between tomato products,” said the researcher.

The study was partially funded by the Heinz Corporation and researchers have promised to continue the study to determine which environments lycopene has the greatest effect in.

Do you plan on eating cooked tomatoes given some early research study results?