Tomato plus broccoli - added benefits for prostates?

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Tomato plus broccoli - added benefits for prostates?

By Stephen Daniells

 

 

1/16/2007 - Tomatoes and broccoli, independently known for their anti-cancer

benefits, may have an extra effect against prostate cancer when both are

part of the daily diet than when they're eaten alone, if results from an animal

study can be replicated in humans.

 

" When tomatoes and broccoli are eaten together, we see an additive effect.

We think it's because different bioactive compounds in each food work on

different anti-cancer pathways, " said lead researcher, John Erdman from the

University of Illinois.

 

Writing in the January 15 issue of Cancer Research, Erdman and his

co-workers report that lab rats with implanted prostate cancer cells fed a diet

containing 10 per cent tomato powder and 10 per cent broccoli powder, the

cancers

had shrunk significantly more than the cancers in rats fed a control diet or a

diet containing only broccoli or tomato powder, or supplemented with

lycopene.

 

The researchers implanted Dunning R3327-H prostate tumours into 206 male

Copenhagen rats and then assigned them to one of six dietary groups: 10 per

cent

broccoli powder plus 10 per cent tomato powder (10:10 combination); 5 per

cent broccoli powder plus 5 per cent tomato powder (5:5 combination); only 10

per cent broccoli; only 10 per cent tomato; or lycopene supplementation (23 or

224 nanomoles per gram of diet - DSM lycopene beadlets).

 

After 22 weeks of feeding on the diets, the researchers reported that the

lycopene supplements were associated with a seven and 18 per cent reduction in

prostate size for the 23 or 224 nmol/g doses, respectively, while tomato only

and broccoli only were associated with 34 and 42 per cent, respectively.

 

The 10:10 combination of broccoli and tomato was associated with a 52 per

cent reduction in tumour weight, said the researchers. " The combination of

tomato and broccoli was more effective at slowing tumour growth that either

tomato

or broccoli alone and supports the public health recommendations to increase

the intake of a variety of plant components, " wrote the researchers.

 

The mechanism behind the apparent benefits, they said, is that the

phytochemicals present in the vegetables, like lycopene in tomatoes and

glucosinolates

in broccoli, could induce apoptosis, or programmed cell death, in the cancer

cells.Further studies are needed to verify these findings, with a particular

need for human studies: " These findings provide support for future human

prevention trials based on dietary interventions, " they said.

 

The researchers suggested that, based on the current results, a 55-year-old

man concerned about prostate health could benefit by increasing their intake

of the vegetables. " To get these effects, men should consume daily 1.4 cups of

raw broccoli and 2.5 cups of fresh tomato, or 1 cup of tomato sauce, or half

a cup of tomato paste. I think it's very doable for a man to eat a cup and a

half of broccoli per day or put broccoli on a pizza with half a cup of

tomato paste, " said lead author Kirstie Canene-Adams in a release.

 

Prof. Erdman said the study showed that eating whole foods is better than

consuming their components: " It's better to eat tomatoes than to take a

lycopene supplement. And cooked tomatoes may be better than raw tomatoes.

Chopping

and heating make the cancer-fighting constituents of tomatoes and broccoli

more bioavailable. "

 

" When tomatoes are cooked, for example, the water is removed and the

healthful parts become more concentrated. That doesn't mean you should stay

away

from fresh produce. The lesson here, I think, is to eat a variety of fruits and

vegetables prepared in a variety of ways, " added Canene-Adams.

 

Commenting indepently on the research, Dr Julie Sharp, cancer information

manager at British charity, Cancer Research UK, said: " While this work supports

previous suggestions that both broccoli and tomatoes may contain chemicals

with anticancer properties, their effects in humans are still unclear. This

research has been done in the laboratory but studies of these vegetables in

large numbers of people have produced conflicting results. " However we do know

that a healthy balanced diet can help to reduce the risk of cancer and should

include plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit. Eating tomatoes and broccoli

could help people get their five portions a day.

 

" Over half a million news cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed every year

world wide, and the cancer is the direct cause of over 200,000 deaths. More

worryingly, the incidence of the disease is increasing with a rise of 1.7 per

cent over 15 years.

 

Source: Cancer Research

January 15, 2007, Volume 67, Pages 836-843

" Combinations of tomato and broccoli enhance antitumor activity in Dunning

R3327-H prostate adenocarcinomas "

Authors: K. Canene-Adams, B.L. Lindshield, E.H. Jeffery, and J.W. Erdman