ABSTRACT
Epidemiological and experimental data suggest that an increased intake of tomato products can reduce the risk of cancers, especially prostate and colon cancer. DNA damage is an important step in the initiation of carcinogenesis. Human intervention studies have shown that daily consumption of tomato products containing about 15 mg lycopene or more can decrease DNA damage and even those with about 6 mg or more can increase the antigenotoxic resistance of peripheral blood lymphocytes against strand breaks initiated by pro-oxidants such as hydrogen peroxide or iron ions. It would appear that the protective effects of tomatoes cannot be attributed solely to lycopene, which is, however, possibly a good marker for consumption of tomato products. Little is known about the protective effects of tomatoes on DNA damage in cells other than lymphocytes in human. Prostate and colon epithelial cells are of special interest because of well-known epidemiological links. Further studies are necessary to estimate the protective tomato compounds, molecular mechanisms of action, and subpopulations that are sensitive to the cancer-preventive effects of tomato.
