Mediterranean Diet Tomato Sauces May Prevent Cancer
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Mediterranean Diet Red Tomato Sauces May Prevent Cancer Tomatoes, once thought to be poison, rank at the top of a list of foods that have shown real promise in fighting breast cancer. There is some evidence to suggest that the Mediterranean diet, heavy on red tomato sauces, might do as well in preventing cancer as it seems to in preventing coronary heart disease. The secret of the Mediterranean diet is partly in its ingredients. In addition to tomato sauces, it is rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, breads, cereals and fish, and relies less heavily on red meat than the typical American diet - all good cancer-fighting foods.
The other magic of the Mediterranean diet is in the cooking. Traditional Mediterranean cooking does not generally involve frying or broiling meat; rather, the protein source is slow cooked in a sauce, says Kelly. Research has shown that broiling or frying of red meats unleashes oxidized compounds called heterocyclic amines, which are powerful mutagens. The research shows that people who often consume well-done meats have higher rates of breast cancer than those who do not. Those red tomato sauces actually minimize the formation of those heterocyclic amines through their antioxidant ability, Kelly says.
The true benefits of reducing fat have not been directly linked to preventing breast cancer. However, most nutrition experts note most Americans eat far more fat than their bodies need, and that breast cancer rates are lower in Japan and China where the foods that women ingest are lower in fat. The same holds true for women in Mediterranean countries. Mediterranean diet is the antioxidant lycopene - primarily found in ripe, red tomatoes. Lycopene, one of the most powerful antioxidants, has shown amazing fighting power against a variety of cancers. |
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