A study by scientists from Rutgers University (USA) has shown that eating enough tomatoes or foods based on it, even for a short period of time, reduces the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. The results of this work are published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

After the onset of menopause, the risk of developing breast cancer in women rises with an increase in body mass index (BMI). Previous studies have shown that a high level of adiponectin - secreted by adipocytes (fat cells) of a hormone that regulates fat metabolism and blood glucose level - is associated with a reduction in this risk.

It is known that the consumption of lycopene (a carotenoid pigment that determines the red color of tomato fruit), as well as lycopene-containing products, helps to reduce oxidative stress markers in humans, which prevents oncogenesis. In the new work, the scientists studied its effect on the concentration of adiponectin in the blood serum.

The study involved 70 postmenopausal women in the high-risk group for breast cancer. The average age of participants in the study was about 57 years, BMI - 30 kg / m?. For 10 weeks, subjects consumed a large number of tomatoes with a total lycopene content of at least 25 mg per day (the norm is 5-10 mg per day, while the western diet provides 0.6-1.6 mg of lycopene per day).

According to the results obtained, the level of adiponectin in the blood increased in all participants of the study (on average - by 9%), but the greatest concentration of this hormone was observed among those who did not suffer from obesity.

"Our research shows how eating a lycopene-rich diet that increases the level of adiponectin can be effective in reducing the risk of breast cancer," said Professor Adana Llanos, lead researcher.

Now, the authors plan to conduct additional studies to confirm the findings and find out the exact mechanism underlying the anticarcinogenic effect of lycopene on breast tissue.

nedug. en.