Last year a Harvard study including nearly 48,000 men found that eating tomato sauce a couple of times a week may reduce prostate cancer risk. Lycopene appears to be the active ingredient in tomatoes responsible for this effect. However, many then made the mistake of translating this research to taking lycopene supplements. But new research published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that lycopene's effect is boosted by other chemicals in the fruit. This research supports what I have been advising for some time: consuming entire, whole foods that are ideal for your nutritional type in their purest state will nearly always provide more comprehensive health benefits than a shopping bag full of supplements.
BBC News November 5, 2003