We love hearing about a study that makes us feel good for doing something we’re already doing and today, it’s about eating one of our favorite things: pizza. Researchers in Italy checked out the effects of a diet including our beloved pizza and discovered that it can actually help cut the risk of cancer.
Scientists from the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmaceutical Research in Milan found that dining on pizza bi-weekly can reduce the risk of developing cancer of the esophagus by 59%, mouth cancer by 34%, and colon cancer by 26%. So what’s in a savory pie that’s helping our health? The antioxidant lycopene, which is found in tomatoes.
Lycopene has plenty of health benefits on its own, but when you’re eating a food rich in it that also has plenty of fat, it’s even more potent. Since lycopene is fat-soluble, that mozzarella cheese on your pizza helps you absorb more of it’s cancer-fighting goodness with each bite. So when you’re enjoying your next Margherita pizza, think of it as health food.
Source: Women's Health