While there's no way of eating that can promise 100 percent
protection from breast cancer, it's increasingly clear that breast
cancer prevention and diet go hand in hand, thanks to the right
foods' incredible ability to heal and protect our bodies from
disease.
The latest food shown to possess anticancer properties is the
much-loved tomato,
thanks to the fruit's ability to raise levels of a hormone known
to help regulate blood sugar and fat.
The study, appearing in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology
& Metabolism, explains that as a postmenopausal woman
ages, her body mass index tends to climb, a clear breast
cancer risk factor. In the latest study, though, researchers from
Rutgers University found that eating a diet high in tomatoes
helped promote better fat regulation and sugar metabolism,
keeping women's body mass index out of the danger zone.
"The advantages of eating plenty of tomatoes and tomato-
based products, even for a short period, were clearly evident
in our findings," says study author, Adana Llanos, PhD,
MPH, 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. 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."
The study looked at women eating tomato-rich diets and
found that those who ate at least 25 milligrams of lycopene
daily for 10 weeks saw a healthy bump in adiponectin, a
hormone involved with regulating blood sugar and fat levels.
In fact, levels rose 9 percent on average. Interestingly, a high-
soy diet actually lowered levels of the fat-fighting, sugar-
stabilizing hormone.
Some tips for tomato lovers:
•Always choose organic. Pesticide-residue testing has found 5
types of known or probable carcinogens, along with 16
suspected hormone-disrupting chemicals, on nonorganic
tomato samples.
•Opt for fresh tomatoes versus store-bought canned. Most
cans in the supermarket are lined with bisphenol A, or BPA, a
hormone-disrupting chemical actually linked to breast cancer.
•If you have a garden, try growing heirloom tomato varieties.
These are types of tomatoes that have been passed down over
the years because of their exquisite taste. Growing heirloom
seeds also helps preserve genetic diversity in the vegetable
world.