Tomatoes can protect postmenopausal women against breast cancer, a latest study says.
Researchers at Rutgers University found that maintaining a diet rich in tomatoes can reduce the chances of breast cancer among at-risk postmenopausal women. They found that tomatoes worked positively in increasing the hormone levels , lycopene, that regulates fat and sugar metabolism.
For the study, the researchers examined the effects of both tomato-rich and soy-rich diets on 70 postmenopausal women.
They told the participants to eat tomato products containing at least 25 milligrams of lycopene daily for 10 weeks. Further, for another 10 weeks they were told to eat at least 40 grams of soy protein daily.
The researcher then tested the levels of adiponectin, a glucose-regulating hormone known to influence the risk of breast cancer.
The results showed that consumption of lycopene, found in tomatoes, increased the levels of adiponectin while the soy-rich diet reduced these levels.
"The advantages of eating plenty of tomatoes and tomato-based products, even for a short period, were clearly evident in our findings," said lead study author, Adana Llanos, an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at Rutgers University. "Eating fruits and vegetables, which are rich in essential nutrients, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals such as lycopene, conveys significant benefits," Llanos explained in a press release.
"Based on this data, we believe regular consumption of at least the daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables would promote breast cancer prevention in an at-risk population," Llanos added.
"The findings demonstrate the importance of obesity prevention. Consuming a diet rich in tomatoes had a larger impact on hormone levels in women who maintained a healthy weight," Llanos said.
Breast cancer affects over 200,000 and kills around 40,000 every year in the U.S. According to National Institutes of Health, one in every eight women will be affected with breast cancer at some point in their life.
The cause of breast cancer is still not clear. Experts say that risk factors include early puberty, late menopause, and certain genes. Also, diet full of calories and consumption of alcohol can lead to breast cancer.
