Tomatoes No Cancer-Fighting Wonder
FDA experts point out lack of evidence on alleged benefits

(HealthDay News) -- Although some research has suggested that an antioxidant found in tomatoes, called lycopene, can help ward off cancer, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has concluded that the evidence just wasn't strong enough to draw conclusions about tomatoes or tomato products.

According to FDA experts, there's no evidence that eating tomatoes will reduce the likelihood of developing prostate, ovary, stomach, pancreas, lung, colorectal, breast, cervical or endometrial cancers.

The initial impetus for the review was a petition from a dietary supplement maker that wanted to make health claims regarding lycopene and cancer. An article detailing the FDA's review of the available evidence was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute .

"It just codifies the fact that the information about lycopene and cancer is not very robust," Paul Coates, director of the office of dietary supplements at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, told HealthDay .

The FDA reviewed findings from 107 studies that compared the intake of tomatoes or lycopene with cancer risk in general. Another 23 studies the agency reviewed had information on blood levels of lycopene, though the FDA found most of those studies unreliable because they focused on people who already had cancer rather than on healthy people.

The agency also included dozens more studies that compared the consumption of lycopene or tomatoes against the risk of specific cancers, such as colon, prostate and breast cancer.

"One of the things people are concerned about is how are these decisions arrived at?" Coates said. The FDA review "gives people some idea of what the process is," he explained. "Making the process transparent and open will be helpful."

But, Coates added, the review will not be the last word on the potential health benefits of tomatoes or lycopene. "It may well be that if more studies are done, a greater effect might be found," he said. "But now, when you look at similar studies done by different people, they come to the same conclusion."

Cancer experts often shy away from recommending a single fruit or vegetable as the cancer fighter. Marji McCullough, director of nutritional epidemiology for the American Cancer Society, told HealthDay that "in our guidelines, we encourage people to eat a variety of food, especially fruits and vegetables."

She said that "several studies have suggested a lower risk of cancer with some kinds of foods, including tomatoes, but we encourage variety."

Additionally, consuming a variety of fruits and vegetables might also help with weight control, which could be important because excess weight has been linked to the development of colon, breast and endometrial cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Other lifestyle factors that can increase the risk of cancer include alcohol consumption and physical inactivity, the institute states.

On the Web

To learn more about lycopene, visit the American Cancer Society.

SOURCES: HealthDay News ; Paul Coates, Ph.D., director, Office of Dietary Supplements, U.S. National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.; Marji McCullough, Sc.D., director of nutritional epidemiology, American Cancer Society, Atlanta; July 2007, Journal of the National Cancer Institute ; National Cancer Institute (www.cancer.gov)
Author: Serena Gordon
Publication Date: July 31, 2008
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