New Study: Tomatoes Combat Skin Cancer

Do you love matbucha? Make sure to add a sliced tomato to every salad? Researchers from Ohio University have good news for you. They say that daily consumption of tomatoes reduces the risk of developing skin cancer.

The study, conducted on laboratory mice, found that male mice that were fed a diet consisting of ten percent tomato powder for 35 weeks and then exposed to ultraviolet light developed skin tumors that were half the size compared to a control group that did not consume tomatoes.

The theory behind the experiment, explained by the researchers, suggests that lycopene in tomatoes, which gives them their red color, has a protective effect against the damage of ultraviolet radiation. Therefore, the mice exposed without any protection to harmful amounts of such radiation developed smaller tumors than they would have without consuming tomatoes. It's clear that when reasonable protective measures against radiation are taken, a diet rich in tomatoes may be the final piece of the puzzle in protecting against skin cancer.

Another interesting finding by the researchers was that tomatoes positively affected male mice but not females. The reason for this is likely because males are more prone to developing skin cancer initially, and their tumors tend to be more numerous, larger, and aggressive. This finding shows how, in health matters, what works for men doesn't necessarily work for women – and vice versa.

Besides the benefits in fighting cancer, incidental to note, consuming tomatoes also has a more immediate use in cases of exposure to harmful radiation. Researchers noted that previous studies found that regular consumption of tomatoes, or even tomato paste, protects against sunburns. In other words, the more you consume this red vegetable, the less you'll suffer from the redness caused by excessive tanning.