Further evidence that tomatoes can protect your prostate has just come to light. It comes from researchers at the University of Portsmouth in the UK.

They set out to prove once and for all that tomatoes can halt prostate cancer. And that’s just what they’ve done.

“The lab evidence we have found is clear,” says Dr. Mridula Chopra. She leads cancer research at the University and was behind this new study. “It’s possible to intercept the mechanism cancer cells use to grow, by eating sufficient tomatoes.”

Not only that, they’ve found out why the red fruit is so good at combatting prostate cancer.

Their findings have just been published in the British Journal of Nutrition. And experts are getting excited about them.

One of them is Eleanor Barrie, senior science officer with Cancer Research UK.

“Research like this can help us to understand how the chemical” in tomatoes protect against prostate cancer, she says.

The Secret Way That Tomatoes Fight Cancer

The new study is really important because it shows how tomatoes combat prostate cancer. As you already know, they contain a chemical called lycopene. And it’s lycopene that does the fighting for you.

You see, cancer cells hijack your healthy blood supply and use it to grow and spread.

But this study shows that lycopene blocks cancer cells from getting the blood source they need. Their lab tests clearly show that lycopene stop cancer cells from attaching to your blood supply. And that stops cancer growth in its tracks.

As their study shows, lycopene can be a good defense against cancer. But it’s even more effective for men dealing with prostate cancer. That’s because lycopene accumulates in prostate tissue.

“The important thing is for sufficient lycopene to reach where it can matter,” says Dr. Chopra. “We know that in case of prostate tissue it gets there.”

What This Means to You

The researchers know that lycopene accumulates in prostate tissue because they tested this out too!

They gave 400 g of tinned tomatoes to a group of men for about two weeks. At the end of their study they took urine and semen samples. And they found big increases in every man’s lycopene levels.

So how much is 400 g of tomatoes? That’s about what you get in a can of peeled, whole tomatoes. Or, you can also weigh organic tomatoes in the produce aisle of any grocery store to be sure you’re getting enough each day.