Cooked tomatoes shown to slow growth of prostate cancer cells

A nutrient in cooked tomatoes has been shown in laboratory studies to slow the growth of — and even kill — prostate cancer cells, scientists have said.

Dr Mridula Chopra and colleagues at the University of Portsmouth tested the effect of the nutrient lycopene on the simple mechanism through which cancer cells hijack a body’s healthy blood supply to grow and spread.

They found that lycopene, which is what gives tomatoes their red colour, intercepts cancer’s ability to make the connections it needs to attach to a healthy blood supply.