Posted on 05/29/2008 3:25:30 PM PDT by decimon
MU researcher discovers why tomatoes are good for prevention and possible treatment
COLUMBIA, Mo. New cancer research from the University of Missouri suggests that eating a certain form of tomato product could be the key to unlocking the prostate cancer-fighting potential of the tomato. The positive effect of tomato products has been suggested in many studies, but, until now, researchers did not know exactly what caused this effect.
It appears that the greatest protective effect from tomatoes comes from rehydrating tomato powder into tomato paste, said Valeri Mossine, research assistant professor of biochemistry in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. Processing of many edible plants through heating, grinding, mixing or drying dramatically increases their nutritional value and cancer-fighting potential.
Mossine and his colleagues found that FruHis an organic carbohydrate present in dehydrated tomato products exerts a strong protective effect against prostate cancer. Rats, injected with prostate cancer-causing chemicals, were divided into groups and fed different diets. The group fed a diet of tomato paste plus additional FruHis demonstrated the longest survival rate. Only 10 percent in that group had developed prostate tumors. Sixty percent in the control group had tumors; 30 percent of the group fed tomato powder had tumors; and 25 percent of the group fed tomato paste alone had prostate tumors.
Before this study, researchers attributed the protective effect of tomatoes to ascorbic acid, carotenoids or phenolic compounds. FruHis may represent a novel type of potential dietary antioxidant, Mossine said. Our ongoing research now focuses on unraveling the mechanisms behind why this has a beneficial effect. This knowledge may lead to other avenues of research and drug development for prostate and other cancers. Results of this study certainly warrant clinical trials.
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The study will be published in the June issue of Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. The research was funded by The Prostate Cancer Foundation and the MU Agriculture Experiment Station Chemistry Lab.
I am battling Prostate Cancer now. I wish it were this easy...But any hope, even dried tomatoes, is good.
It’s a long way from rats to clinical practice. Rats don’t live nearly as long as humans. A man’s chances of having prostate cancer are about the same as his age. Age 60=60%, Age 80=80%. Vegetables are good for you in general, when part of a balanced diet. Nobody’s every shown that vegans live forever.
This statement jumped out at me: Processing of many edible plants through heating, grinding, mixing or drying dramatically increases their nutritional value and cancer-fighting potential.
Don’t think I’ve heard that before.
What are examples of “dehydrated” tomato products? Are these produces readily available at a typical supermarket?
Nope. However, when one regularly eats things like tofu and seaweed it just seems like it...so in a sense an argument, on some level, could be waged for immortality.
They mention tomato paste.
Ping
Typically they are called sun dried tomatoes, but could just be dehidrated by slow heat.
Too bad I don’t have a prostate because I’ve been known to eat a can of tomato paste with a spoon alone, LOL!
I have 30 tomato plants in, and 30 peppers. I can’t WAIT for late summer ‘round here. :)
Wow 30 tomato plants! I have 12 you can see my small garden in the pictures I have posted on my about page. The pics are 2 weeks old and the tomatoes are thriving!
Good catch! Not particularly a fan of tomato paste myself, but a great breakthrough if true. Course, they don’t say whether they’re talking about a small can or a tanker load!
I’ll eat tomatoes any other way!
Just wanted to let all of you know, too, that I’m not ignoring you! Still busy at the garden center, #2 son is graduating high school next week and we’re having a pig pickin for him, been going to the chiropracter—back feels better already, wallet is hurting now. Haven’t even been out in the garden for a week. Rained yest—good thing! Catch up whe I catch my breath!
You’re in my prayers.
Thanks for the ping.
I have the tomato powder, but do not have a prostate.
Do you think it will work on something else?
Congratulations to your son, graduation is a big day.
Take care of that back, you will need it for a long time.
Hey, Granny!
I’m trying to take care of my back. Too little too late. Did too much lifting when I was younger, paying for it now, but the chiropracter has really helped. You should hear me when he twists me around—I sound like a machine gun going off! They have this really cool rolling massage table. It starts at your neck and rrrrooolllsss down to the base of your spine and then back up. Oh my gosh! I want one!
Managed to check the garden tonight with the help of the 15 month old gbaby. Vidalias are almost tennis ball size, potato vines are getting ready to die, green beans are forming, have a small zucchini, flowers are beautiful! First time I’ve been out there in a week!
Have a great weekend!
It is good that you are doing better.
You should know that there would be a price to pay for the way you have worked this year.
You need to rest and get well, make it a special weekend, one for the memory bank.
Thanks Granny! It got to the point where I was almost hurting too bad to get out of bed and I wasn’t sleeping well. I hate drs almost as much as I hate pain. Pain finally won. I went to the chiropractor, hoping he could help. It was either that or go to a pain dr and start some heavy duty meds. I was hoping it wasn’t arthritis, but it was getting worse.
Seems that my spine/neck were out of align. I felt so much better teh first day that it wasn’t funny. Actually slept that night. :)
Course when I felt better, I started excercising again, and that helped too. I haven’t felt this good in years. Hope it lasts!
Grew up on a farm and did too much then. Also was the littlest of a bunch of rough boys—neighbors and cousins. If I wanted to play, I had to suck it up and not whine. I did a lot of sucking up!
Have a great weekend!
How lucky you are to have a good chiropractor.
That is not something that I have found in this area.
My Aunt’s in San Diego, had a good one and i went once a month, helped with all those cramps.
I am so very glad you are feeling better.
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