Yoghurt and tomatoes reduced particle-linked DNA damage in lab tests

Several Mediterranean foods lowered the effects of very fine air-pollution particles in bacteria and human cells.

Editorial illustration — not from the study.

Researchers tested yoghurt, apples, lemons, peaches, kiwis, broccoli, onions and tomatoes against the effects of PM0.5, very fine particles that can penetrate deeply into tissues. They used a bacterial test for mutations and a DNA-damage test in human cell lines from lung, liver and colorectal tissues.

The particle extracts caused mutagenic and genotoxic effects in the experiments. Yoghurt and tomato products showed the strongest protection in several human-cell tests, while apple, peach and onion also reduced damage in some cell lines. The researchers say further work is needed to identify the mechanisms and test whether the effects occur in living organisms.

What the foods did

Organic extracts from PM0.5 caused significant mutation-related and DNA damage in the laboratory tests. In the bacterial assay, yoghurt, apple, onion and tomato reduced mutagenicity by more than 50%. In human cells, yoghurt and tomato, including tomato purée, produced the strongest effects, reducing DNA damage by up to 90% in lung-derived A549 cells. Peach, apple and onion also reduced DNA damage in some of the other cell lines tested.

Why it matters

Very fine air particles are an emerging health concern because they can reach deep into tissues and may cause damage linked to oxidative stress. These experiments suggest that some foods typical of the Mediterranean diet could reduce particle-related DNA damage under laboratory conditions, particularly fermented foods and vegetables. They do not establish that eating these foods prevents pollution-related disease in people.

Evidence and limits

This was an exploratory laboratory study using the Ames test in Salmonella bacteria and the comet assay in human lung, liver and colorectal cell lines. The experiments used organic extracts of PM0.5 rather than exposure in people, and the abstract does not report clinical or animal results. The researchers have not yet established how the foods produced the protective effects or whether they would occur in living organisms; further studies are needed.

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