Overview
The lycopene in tomato is thought to play a role in preventing cancer. It's easier for the body to use lycopene that comes from tomato products, such as tomato paste or tomato juice, than from fresh tomatoes.
People use tomato for cancer prevention, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, osteoarthritis, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
Don't confuse tomato with lycopene, the antioxidant found in tomatoes.
Uses & Effectiveness ?
Possibly Ineffective for
- Bladder cancer. Eating more tomato products does not seem to decrease the risk of bladder cancer.
- Breast cancer. Eating more tomato products does not seem to decrease the risk of breast cancer.
- Diabetes. Eating more tomato products does not seem to decrease the risk of diabetes. It also doesn't seem to reduce blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.
Side Effects
There isn't enough reliable information to know if tomato vine is safe or what the side effects might be.
Special Precautions and Warnings
There isn't enough reliable information to know if tomato vine is safe or what the side effects might be.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Tomato fruit is commonly consumed in foods while pregnant and breast-feeding. But there isn't enough reliable information to know if tomato extract is safe or what the side effects might be. Stay on the safe side and stick to food amounts.
Interactions ?
We currently have no information for TOMATO overview.
Dosing
As medicine, tomato extracts have most often been used based on their lycopene content. Typical doses for adults are 15-30 mg of lycopene by mouth daily for up to 8 weeks. Speak with a healthcare provider to find out what dose might be best for a specific condition.
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Paetau I, Khachik F, Brown ED, et al. Chronic ingestion of lycopene-rich tomato juice or lycopene supplements significantly increases plasma concentrations of lycopene and related tomato carotenoids in humans. Am J Clin Nutr 1998;68:1187-95. View abstract.
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