y worldwide. In the U.S., melanoma rates have increased 500% between 1950 and 1985. Researchers speculate that soaring rates may be due to the thinning of the ozone layer, and to ideals of beauty that include a deep tan. Dr. Safai, for many years chief of dermatology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, suggests that a diet high in antioxidants may protect against skin cancer. The American Journal of Epidemiology reports that melanoma patients had significantly lower blood levels of vitamin E and beta-carotene than did people without this skin cancer. A diet high in whole grains and fruits and vegetables will amply provide these valuable antioxidants. In addition, a low-fat diet appears to help protect against skin cancer, according to recent research. Green tea might be a good bet, as well. Mice that drank only green tea got an astonishing 88-93% fewer skin cancers, when irradiated with ultraviolet B rays, than a control group that drank only water. Another highly common cancer is prostate cancer. As many as one in five men will get prostate cancer at some point in their lives. Fortunately, there are many dietary adjustments we can make to help avoid this all-too-frequent cancer. High-fat diets, for one, have been implicated in prostate cancer. A study tracking the eating habits of 48,000 men found a powerful correlation between packing away the grease and the advanced form of this disease. Those men who ate the most fat had an astonishing 79% greater risk of getting advanced prostate cancer than did those eating the lowest amounts. The worst foods are red meat, mayonnaise and butter. One of our strongest allies against prostate cancer is the tomato, a component of so many of America's favorite dishes. Eating a lot of tomato products, which are rich in lycopene, a carotene has strongly been associated with reduced risk for this cancer. For those who don't care for tomatoes, watermelon and pink grapefruit are alternate and de...
