Can Tomatoes Help Prevent Cancer?

Putting the romance of the western world's fourth most popular fruit (after bananas, apples and oranges) to one side, there's a lot more to tomatoes than just good looks and a great taste. Tomatoes contain virtually no fat and no cholesterol. They are very low in calories, typically only 10-15 kcals for a medium sized fruit, and are packed full of Vitamins A, C and E.
But it's the tomato's natural red pigment, lycopene, that has had the medical profession mooting its role as a "miracle fruit" most recently. The Cancer Research Campaign has recommened people increase the amount of fresh, ripe tomatoes they eat. Evidence suggests that a high intake of lycopene (an effective antioxidant ) can reduce the risk of cancer and other serious diseases.
Scientists have developed a genetically modified tomato which could be used to keep people healthy. They believe the fruit could even help to ward off heart disease and cancer.
Using gene technology they were able to increase levels of beneficial chemicals called falvonols in tomato peel.
Flavonols are powerful antioxidants, chemicals which fight disease by neutralising harmful oxygen molecules that circulate in the body, damaging tissues and accelerating the ageing process.
Some foods, such as onions and tea, are rich in these substances.
They are found naturally in tomato skin, but at much lower levels.
The British and Dutch scientists found that flavonol synthesis in the tomato is governed by an enzyme called chalcone isomerase.