Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
2
pubmed:dateCreated
1994-11-15
pubmed:abstractText
In view of the persisting uncertainty concerning possible mechanisms by which high vegetable and fruit intake decreases cancer risk, foods with divergent values for potentially important micronutrients are a priority for investigation. Tomatoes are low in beta-carotene, but high in lycopene, an active antioxidative agent. In order to assess the effect of tomatoes on risk of cancers of the digestive tract, data were analyzed from an integrated series of case-control studies conducted between 1985 and 1991 in northern Italy, where tomato intake is high but, also, heterogeneous. The overall dataset included the following histologically confirmed cancer cases: oral cavity and pharynx, 314; esophagus, 85; stomach, 723; colon, 955; and rectum, 629; and a total of 2,879 controls admitted to hospital for acute non-neoplastic or non-digestive conditions, unrelated to long-term dietary modifications. Multivariate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for subsequent quartiles of intake of raw tomatoes were derived, after allowance for age, sex, study center, education, smoking and drinking level, and tertile of total caloric intake. There was a consistent pattern of protection for all sites (OR in the upper quartile ranging between 0.4 and 0.7), most notably for gastrointestinal neoplasms. All trends in risk were highly significant. The beneficial effect of raw tomatoes in this population may be partly due to the fact that they constitute perhaps the most specific feature of the Mediterranean diet. However, if it is true that tomatoes protect against digestive-tract cancers, this is of interest from both a scientific and a public health viewpoint.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Oct
pubmed:issn
0020-7136
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:day
15
pubmed:volume
59
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
181-4
pubmed:dateRevised
2007-7-24
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1994
pubmed:articleTitle
Tomatoes and risk of digestive-tract cancers.
pubmed:affiliation
Epidemiology Unit, Aviano Cancer Center, (PN), Italy.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Comparative Study, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't