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Schwarz Reading Notes
 Food (12-18; 38-45; 74-77)
Tomatoes and Lycopene
Lycopene-the compound responsible for the red colour of tomatoes
-supplements enjoying sale especially among men worried about prostate cancer
-studies have shown that men who consume lots of tomato products have a lower
incidence of the disease.
(Harvard School Public Health-showed that men who had 10 or more servings of
tomato-based foods a week had a 45% reduction in rate of prostate cancer)
-spaghetti sauce most common tomato-based food consumer + cooked tomatoes
seemed more protective than raw or juice heat releases lycopene and other
nutrients from tomato cells
[sauce commonly made w/ olive oil-enhances the absorption of the fat-soluble
lycopene]
-sauce is concentrated tomato product-provides more nutrients per gram than
fresh tomatoes
-lycopene good candidate for biological activity bc the tomato actually uses the
compound to maintain its own health
-protects the seeds in fruit from damage by oxygen/light
-l can absorb UV light + its antioxidant activity allows it 2 neutralize free radicals
generated by exposure 2 oxygen
-tomatoes v. complex chemically –contain hundreds of difference compounds
Is lycopene the most imp? (Researchers @ Ohio State University)
-researchers focused on rats-very good models for human prostate cancer
-They caused prostate cancer in 200 rats by treating them w/ a cancer-inducing mix of
testosterone + N-methyl-N-nitrosourea
-some rats fed diets containing whole tomato powder
-others were treated to rat food fortified w/ lycopene
-Lycopene-fortified rats actually getting more lycopene than the tomato-powder rats
[Results of experiment surprising]
 The risk of rat death from prostate cancer was significantly > greater in the
rats that were fed the pure lycopene extract
 suggests there are other components in tomatoes that have a protective effect
and that the whole food is beneficial (while isolated components may not be)
-message: eat a balanced diet w/ lots of vegetables + fruits –shortcuts may not work
Another Significant finding-researchers also put some of the rats in each group on a
calorie-restricted diet
-while other rats allowed to eat as much as they wanted, these rats were given a diet
containing 20% fewer calories than what rats usually consume.  Hungry rats lived
longer—w/o getting prostate cancer—than the rats that ate freely.
 Just eating less food reduces risk of prostate cancer
Overall message: We should reduce our calorie intake + eat lots of tomato
products
-eating tomato products may even play role in protecting the ♥. (Ital study)
 We have all heard of the benefits of the highly touted Mediterranean diet-Italian
researchers decided 2 find out if pizza specifically played a role in protection against
cardiovascular disease.
 Regular pizza eaters were 40% less likely to suffer a ♥ attack than those who
never ate pizza
(Med diet tends to be lower in fat than the N. Amer diet)
-pizza as served in Italy-dough thin, pizza dressed w/ olive oil + cheese + fresh
tomato sauce
 What they are not eating?
-portion of pizza in the Ital study was defined as 200 grams, and even the regular eaters
averaged only 500 grams (just over pound) of pizza/week
-Pizza may be displacing high-calorie foods from the diet
-yellow stuff around tomato seed that matters?
-fluid contains flavonoids that have anti-clotting properties + could reduce the risk of ♥
attacks
 producers of “Fruitflow” endorse the above statement
-patented tomato-extract product is being added 2 various drinks w/ hopes improving
cardiovascular health
Study-blood “stickiness” reduced by an average of 70% in the 220 volunteers who drank
a juice containing Fruitflow (effect lasted 18h)
Tomato juice + deep vein thrombosis (pot life threatening condition that can occur longdistance flights)
-sitting in one position w/o moving for extended periods increase the chance of blood
clots forming in the legs
-clots can travel to the ♥ or lungs
-Another supplement sold as “Lyc-O-Mato” –capsules contain nutrients = to those found
in 4 tomatoes (along w/ fat to aid absorption) reduced moderately leveled blood
pressure significantly
Erdman (U of Illinois nutrient prof) –fed diet containing 10% dehydrated tomato
powder/or 10% broccoli powder, or comb. Both to rats implanted w/ human prostate
cancer-cells.
-another group treated w/ supplemental lycopene + another group castrated (poss
treatment for prostate cancer)
-After 22 wks, Erdman found that the tomato-broccoli comb. was most effective in
reducing the sz of the tumours
 the dose of broccoli + tomato needed 2 achieve reduction in tumours is w/in the
norms of the human diet
-suggest that 1.5 cups of broccoli/day—coupled w/ 2.5 fresh cups of tomato or cup
tomato sauce  can be effective in reducing the growth of prostate tumours +
probably their occurrence as well
 Compounds in foods can inhibit cancer in various ways-ranging from stimulating
detoxicating enzymes to triggering cell death
 Eating Tomatoes make you Look Better-lycopene is fat soluble + concentrates on fatty
tissue
-since the molecule is an efficient absorber of UV light it offers protection against suninduced skin damage
Fish and Omega-3 Fats
Beans and Inositol Pentakisphophate
 Vitamins (129-148; 251-258)
Vitamins from A to K
Supplementing with Vitamins
 Diet & Heart Disease (105-112; 69-73)
Grapes and Resveratrol
Oats and Soluble Fibre