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	Thursday 21st December 2000 Eat Your Reds A chemical that is found in tomatoes could prevent or treat oral cancer and other cancers such as breast, prostate, pancreas and colorectal cancer. Lycopene - the chemical that forms the pigment that gives tomatoes their red colour - was added to oral cancer cells by researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and it was found that the cells began to die. The team are not sure how the pigment might kill oral cancer cells, but believe that the chemical helps to restore a natural process which helps the body kill off cells that are not developing properly. According to the BBC, oral tumour cells have been found to lack the necessary junctions between themselves and other cells, allowing abnormal cells to grow and multiply. According to the research team, lycopene can help re-establish these junctions. Betty Schwartz, who is leading the research, now plans to test the chemical on people with oral cancer. She said, ‘We now need to establish the precise mechanism of action of lycopene not only in cancer prevention, but also its possible role in reducing cardiovascular disease and nervous-system illnesses.’