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Eating Tomatoes Protects DNA

Eating tomato sauce protects DNA from oxidative damage, say the first researchers to investigate the effect of the carotenoid lycopene outside of the test tube and in the human body.

The controlled, crossover study, conducted by Patrizia Riso and colleagues at the University of Milan in Italy, studied 10 female students in their 20s. The women were divided into two groups and instructed to follow a tomato-free, low carotenoid diet that included daily dishes of pasta with olive oil. After one week, women in the first group were given 60g uncooked tomato puree containing about 16.5 mg lycopene to add to their pasta. The second group continued on plain pasta and olive oil. After three weeks, the groups switched regimens for an additional three weeks.

The researchers extracted white blood cells, or lymphocytes, from all the women and exposed them to the oxidizing agent hydrogen peroxide. They assessed the degree of resulting DNA damage using a technique called single-cell gel electrophoresis. Women on the tomato diet for just seven days had significantly less DNA damage, and 33 to 42 percent less DNA damage after three weeks. When the first group to follow the tomato diet was switched to the tomato-free diet, their DNA damage climbed back to initial levels—showing tomatoes must be eaten regularly to maintain a protective effect.

A tomato-rich diet correlates with lower rates of some cancers in epidemiological surveys. This study provides the first in vivo evidence that tomatoes and lycopene really are protective.

—American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1999 Apr;69:712-8