Tomato is the top choice among experts when one talk about miracle food that may help treat or manage cancer, particularly stomach cancer. In the year 2013, a study published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health concluded that consumption of tomato products in large amounts was found to be linked with a reduced risk of gastric cancer.
A stomach cancer or gastric cancer tends to develop slowly over the years. It is almost always is an adenocarcinoma. These cancers develop from the cells that form the innermost lining of the stomach (the mucosa). Cancers starting in different sections of the stomach may cause different symptoms and tend to have different outcomes. The cancer’s location can also affect the treatment options. If not detected on time, it can lead to the formation of a tumor which needs medical attention or other intervention depending on the stage or condition of the disease.
The exact cause of cancer is still unknown to the world of science. But according to experts, there are few factors that may heighten the risk of developing stomach cancer and these include severe gut inflammation, polyps growth, ulcer, prolonged history of anemia, and infection with a common bacteria called H. Pylori.
Another study published in Oxford Academic’s Journal of National Cancer Institute studies twelve case-controlled studies that examined incidents of stomach cancer and lycopene (commonly found in tomatoes) consumption in different parts of the world.
The study noted that:
“Inverse associations between tomato consumption and risk of gastric cancer were observed in all these diverse populations.”
As per an ecology study in Japan, it was reported that population with highest plasma lycopene have lesser instances of gastric cancer as compared to areas where the population had lesser lycopene plasma.
As further noted in the study:
“The consistent inverse association observed in diverse populations strongly suggests a protective effect of tomato or lycopene consumption on gastric cancer.”
In addition to this, a study about the correlation between tomato consumption and reduced risk of stomach cancer was conducted by a team of Italian experts. The results revealed that tomato extracts can have the ability to inhibit the growth and multiplication of stomach cancer cells. It was the suggested by the study that tomatoes, as stomach cancer cell fighting agents, should be entirely considered and not only for the lycopene component found in them.
Daniela Barone, a researcher at the Oncology Research Centre of Mercogliano (CROM) in Italy stated that:.
“Their antitumoral effect seems not related to specific components, such as lycopene, but rather suggests that tomatoes should be considered in their entirety,”
It was also noted by experts that different species of tomatoes may have different effects in different stages of cancer. Further research and investigation are being called for.
