You say tomato, but Phyllis Bowen, nutrition and dietetics professor at University of Illinois, Chicago, says possible prostate cancer deterrent and a great source of research funds. Recently added to the list of project directors for the National Foundation for Cancer Research, Bowen and collaborator, Konstantin Christov will use $300,000 in NFCR funding to examine the role of lycopene (a strong antioxidant that gives tomatoes their red color) in apoptosis of prostate cancer cells and hyperplasia. Earlier clinical studies demonstrated lycopene uptake in the prostates of affected men who ate a regular diet of tomato products prior to surgery. Bowen came across the funding for this ancillary study during the annual retreat of Functional Foods for Health, a joint research program between UI-Chicago and Urbana campuses. A speaker at the retreat, Helmut Sies of Heinrich-Heine-Universitat in Dusseldorf, Germany, suggested that the NFCR be invited. Much of Bowen's research affirms...
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