Eating Tomatoes Could Help Cut Breast Cancer Risk, Researchers Say

Amy Taylor December 23, 2013

A tomato-rich diet may help lower the risk of breast cancer in women who are already at risk of the disease, according to a small study. The findings revealed that tomatoes could boost levels of a hormone that plays an important role in sugar and fat metabolism, leading to a reduced risk of breast cancer.

Researchers at Rutgers University studied the effects of tomato consumption among 70 postmenopausal women at known risk for breast cancer. Participants first went two weeks without eating any tomato or soy products, and for 10 weeks ate tomato-containing foods. They went another two weeks without eating tomatoes or soy-based produce, which was followed by 10 weeks of consuming 40 grams of soy products.

Findings revealed that 10 weeks of tomato-rich diet increased the participants’ level of adiponectin – the hormone which plays a crucial role in regulating metabolism.

At the end of the 10-week tomato diet, women’s adiponectin levels increased by 9 per cent, with the strongest effect on those with lower body mass index.

Meanwhile, the participants’ adiponectin levels were reduced after the 10-week soy-filled diet. The researchers couldn’t find an explanation for this effect. "It may be that the protective effects of soy against breast cancer are limited to certain subgroups (e.g., Asian women, whose soy consumption typically begins in utero and who have relatively lower BMI). It is also possible that the mechanism(s) of protection does not involve adiponectin..." they wrote in the study.

"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," said co-author Adana Llanos, Ph.D., MPH, an 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."

But because of the size of the study, the researchers said more studies are needed to confirm their findings, which were published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

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Tomato-Rich Diet Could Help Protect Against Breast Cancer, Small Study Suggests