London - Just ten helpings of tomatoes a week could help men reduce the risk of prostate cancer by almost a fifth, according to a study.
Researchers think that protection against the illness comes from a key chemical inside the fruit known as lycopene.
Tomato-based pasta sauce, tomato juice and even baked beans and the tomato puree topping on pizza were all found to have a beneficial effect.
And men who doubled their intake of fruit and vegetables to the recommended five portions a day reduced their risk by nearly a quarter, say scientists.
In the first study of its kind, researchers from the Universities of Bristol, Cambridge and Oxford examined the diets and lifestyles of nearly 14 000 men aged 50 to 69. They found that those who ate at least ten portions of tomatoes a week were 18 percent less likely to develop prostate cancer compared to those who had none, or very few.
One portion counted as 150g of tomatoes, half a tin of baked beans, a portion of pizza with tomato puree, tomato-based pasta sauce or a glass of tomato juice.
However, the researchers urged men not to overindulge in baked beans, pizza and pasta sauce as they can contain high levels of salt.
Prostate cancer is the most common form of the illness in men, with 41 700 new cases and 10 700 deaths in the UK every year.
Experts suspect it may be linked to the Western diet because it is far less common in countries of the developing world. Research leader Vanessa Er, of the University of Bristol, said: “Our findings suggest that tomatoes may be important in prostate cancer prevention.
“We also found men who ate more fruits and vegetables had a reduced risk of prostate cancer. The risk reduction figure for men who ate five or more portions of fruit or vegetables, compared to those who ate less than two and a half portions, was 24 percent.”
She urged men to rely on whole foods rather than supplements and stick to a diet that includes a variety of fruits and vegetables, as well as staying healthy and active and maintaining “an ideal weight”.
However, experts said there was not enough evidence for conclusive proof that tomatoes protected against prostate cancer.
Dr Iain Frame, of Prostate Cancer UK said: “Studies like these are notoriously difficult to interpret and should be done so with extreme caution.
“It is difficult to separate the effects of one type of food from another, and we still don’t have nearly enough evidence to make concrete recommendations on which specific foods men should eat to reduce their risk of prostate cancer.
“What we do know is that men shouldn’t rely too heavily on one type of food, such as tomatoes.
“A healthy, balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables together with regular exercise is by far the best option.” - Daily Mail