Tomatoes Show Little Effect in Reducing Cancer Risk

Tomato, tomahto: either way, it's not as good a cancer fighter as once thought.

ByABC News
July 10, 2007, 3:46 PM

July 10, 2007 — -- For the past few years, preliminary studies of tomatoes and lycopene -- the antioxidant substance that makes them red -- suggested that the fruit and its extracts may reduce the risk of cancer.

Consumers took note, and lycopene become the fourth best-selling supplement in the United States.

But now a review by researchers from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration published in the current issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute has found that there is very little scientific evidence for the anti-cancer properties of either tomatoes or lycopene.

"We wrote this article, based on the data from 2005, to give the scientific community a window into how we make regulatory decisions," said the study's lead author Claudine Kavanaugh, a researcher at the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

"But we are also trying to help the consumer, to give consumers more information about the level of science that supports health claims."

The review examined 64 separate studies that took place from 1989 to 2005.

The FDA team found that tomatoes had no effect on the risk of lung, colorectal, breast, cervical or endometrial cancer.

They did find some "very limited" evidence that tomatoes -- but not lycopene alone -- slightly reduced the risk of certain cancers, including prostate, ovarian, gastric and pancreatic cancer.

And based on those slim scientific credentials, the FDA will continue to allow companies that market tomato products to advertise some possible cancer risk reduction.

"Basically, if there is a certain amount of data, we are required by law to let companies make qualified health claims on their packaging," said Kavanaugh.

But even though companies can still legally label their products as having cancer-reducing agents, some public interest groups say this is hypocritical.

"Studies show that consumers are confused by such messages, which obfuscate the consensus-based advice to eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and to cut back on saturated fats, trans fats, sodium and sugar," said Bruce Silverglade, director of legal affairs at the Center for Science in the Public Interest.