Tomatoes are a rich source of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that may help protect against cancer and cancer-related death. A recent study found that people with the highest blood levels of lycopene were 11% less likely to develop cancer and 24% less likely to die from it than those with the lowest levels.

Researchers analyzed data from 121 prospective studies involving more than 100,000 people with cancer and more than 10,000 cancer-related deaths. They focused on studies that reported tomato intake, lycopene levels in the blood, or dietary lycopene consumption and how those related to cancer risk and death.

Compared with people who had the lowest lycopene levels, those with the highest had an 11% lower risk of developing cancer. High tomato and lycopene intake were each linked to a 5% lower cancer risk. When looking at cancer deaths, people who consumed the most tomatoes were 16% less likely to die from cancer, and those who consumed the most lycopene were 24% less likely. Higher blood levels of lycopene also lowered the risk of dying from lung cancer (the leading cause of cancer deaths) by 35%. In addition, a modest increase in blood lycopene—about 10 micrograms per deciliter—was tied to a 5% drop in overall cancer risk.

These findings suggest that a diet rich in tomatoes and other lycopene-containing foods could offer modest protection against cancer and may even reduce the risk of dying from it. Lycopene is a carotenoid compound found in tomatoes and watermelon. Learn more about lycopene and other carotenoids in our overview article.