Today's Chicago Tribune reports that tomato paste (made by rehydrating tomato powder) appears to be more beneficial in lowering prostate cancer risk than actual tomatoes.Researchers believe this is due not only to a higher lycopene content in cooked tomatoes, but also the presence of "FruHis—a carbohydrate present in dehydrated tomato products."
The studies have thus far only been done on rats, but investigators would like to see clinical trials on humans next.
Although the article appears to make the point that this goes against commonly held beliefs that "natural is best," I don't consider tomato paste to be a processed food.
Yes, technically it undergoes processing (hence the addition of some sodium, although sodium-free varieties are available), but my idea of a tomato-based processed food would be "veggie chips" with tomatoes in them.
After all, tomato paste is made from... tomatoes (as opposed to, say, tomato-flavored corn starch).
What this article unmistakably shows is that heating vegetables often unlocks higher amounts of nutrients and antioxidants.
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