Weisburger J H
American Health Foundation, Valhalla, New York 10595-1599, USA.
Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1998 Jun;218(2):140-3. doi: 10.3181/00379727-218-44281.
During the last 30 years, research in the field of nutrition and chronic disease causation has led to exciting, significant progress in providing an understanding of specific risk factors and chemopreventive agents. The major health problems considered are cardiovascular diseases and the nutritionally linked cancers, including those in the stomach, colon, breast, prostate, ovary, and endometrium. The major elements considered were salt, type and amount of fat, and heterocyclic amines formed during cooking. Bran cereal fiber, as well as vegetables, fruits, and tea have been shown to inhibit the complex processes of initiation and development of these diseases. One aspect involved in initiation and development of both cardiovascular diseases and the cancers noted are abnormal oxidative processes leading to the generation of hydroxy radicals and peroxy compounds. In part, the protective role of vegetables, fruits, and tea is to provide antioxidant vitamins and specific polyphenols that display a powerful inhibition in oxidative reactions. Epidemiological studies as well as laboratory experimentation have yielded sound data and evidence in support of the fact that vegetables, fruits, and tea and specific antioxidants therein account mechanistically for inhibition. Geographic pathology has provided important data that populations with a regular intake of tomato products, such as in the Mediterranean region, have a lower incidence of the chronic diseases noted. The current Symposium is considering the varied mechanisms of action of tomato products in general, and one of the active principles, lycopene. Cooking is a factor in releasing the desirable antioxidants from tomatoes. Cooked tomato products may be preferable to the raw vegetable or juices derived from tomatoes bearing on absorption of the active principles. Optimally, absorption of lycopene, a highly lipid-soluble chemical, is improved in the presence of a small, but essential amount of oil or fat. Research in the field of nutrition and health has shown that monounsaturated oils such as olive oil or canola oil are most desirable, since such oils do not increase the risk of atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, or the nutritionally linked cancers. The International Symposium on tea conducted in 1991 has provided worldwide interest in research on the beneficial effects of tea. It is now hoped that the present Symposium, dealing with another inexpensive and readily available food, tomatoes, will enhance interest in and funding for additional research, to underwrite future recommendations for possibly enhanced production and use of tomato-derived nutritional elements, with the goal of application to the prevention of major chronic diseases, the treatment of which is costly and often ineffective.
在过去30年里，营养与慢性病病因领域的研究取得了令人兴奋的重大进展，有助于人们了解特定风险因素和化学预防剂。所考虑的主要健康问题是心血管疾病以及与营养相关的癌症，包括胃癌、结肠癌、乳腺癌、前列腺癌、卵巢癌和子宫内膜癌。所考虑的主要因素是盐、脂肪的类型和数量，以及烹饪过程中形成的杂环胺。麸皮谷物纤维以及蔬菜、水果和茶已被证明能抑制这些疾病起始和发展的复杂过程。心血管疾病和上述癌症的起始和发展所涉及的一个方面是异常氧化过程，导致羟基自由基和过氧化合物的产生。蔬菜、水果和茶的保护作用部分在于提供抗氧化维生素和特定多酚，它们对氧化反应有强大的抑制作用。流行病学研究以及实验室实验已得出可靠的数据和证据，支持蔬菜、水果和茶及其所含特定抗氧化剂在机制上具有抑制作用这一事实。地理病理学提供了重要数据，表明经常摄入番茄制品的人群，如地中海地区的人群，上述慢性病的发病率较低。本次研讨会总体上正在探讨番茄制品的多种作用机制，以及其中一种活性成分番茄红素。烹饪是从番茄中释放出理想抗氧化剂的一个因素。煮熟的番茄制品可能比生蔬菜或番茄汁更可取，因为这关系到活性成分的吸收。最理想的是，在存在少量但必需的油脂的情况下，高度脂溶性的化学物质番茄红素的吸收会得到改善。营养与健康领域的研究表明，单不饱和油如橄榄油或菜籽油是最理想的，因为这类油不会增加动脉粥样硬化、冠心病或与营养相关癌症的风险。1991年举办的国际茶研讨会引起了全球对茶有益作用研究的关注。现在希望本次研讨会，涉及另一种廉价且容易获得的食物番茄，将提高人们对更多研究的兴趣并为其提供资金，以支持未来可能增加番茄衍生营养成分的生产和使用的建议，目标是应用于预防主要慢性病，这些慢性病的治疗成本高昂且往往效果不佳。
