Eating Tomatoes Can Cut Kidney Cancer Risk

the Cancer Therapy Advisor take:

In a new study, women who consumed the most lycopene-rich foods, such as tomatoes, had a 45% lower risk for kidney cancer. For the study, researchers followed almost 92,000 postmenopausal women who were participants in the Women's Health Initiative from the mid-1990s to 2013. They collected information on diet and supplement use via questionnaire. Throughout the study, 383 women developed kidney cancer. Compared with women who consumed the least amount of lycopene, those who consumed the most had a decreased risk for kidney cancer. According to the researchers, the amount of lycopene consumed by the women in the highest level is equivalent to eating four tomatoes per day. Nevertheless, these women were also likely receiving lycopene from other fruits or tomato sauces, according to the researchers. Along with other studies, these results suggest that a diet rich in micronutrients could affect cancer risk, but more studies are required, they said.