А new study has suggested cooked tomato sauces, including ketchup, may protect our bodies from cancer.

Axar.az reports, scientists have been studying the red fruit and have discovered cooked tomato sauces increases the levels of healthy bacteria present in the gut.

And the sauce part is important, as tomatoes have a much better probiotic effect when they are fried into a sauce, as opposed to consumed raw, reports RSVP Live.

Scientists at Spain's Universitat Politecnica de Valenicia looked into how digestion affects antioxidants - which help to protect our cells from damage - present in tomato sauce.

It was discovered that cooked tomato sauce is better than raw tomatoes as cooking preserves a chemical called lycopene which boosts the probiotic effect and encourages the growth of healthy bacteria in the gut.

In the study, researchers examined the effects whole tomato extracts had on gastric cancer.

Results showed they slowed down cancer cell's ability to spread and ultimately led to the death of the cell.

Scientists have concluded that the findings could lead to more studies being carried out on preventing stomach cancer, as well as using diet as means to support conventional cancer treatments.

They also said that understanding how both cooking and digestion affect the health benefits of food can help manufacturers to make healthier food products in the future.