A Tyneside doctor is claiming tomato ketchup could help men to overcome prostate problems.

Dr Anand, a GP based in Gosforth, Newcastle, has said many of his patients have seen an improvement in their condition within weeks of hitting the sauce.

The doctor said the effect is due to lycopene, a substance found in tomatoes, which is thought to have cancer-fighting properties.

The doctor, who is a supporter of complementary and non-drug treatments, is telling his patients to take the tomatoes in ketchup, paste, sauce or juice form.

'Unnecessary surgery'

Dr Anand, who runs the Gosforth Elmfield Health Group, said: "I believe if GPs were to introduce complementary and non-drug therapy to patients alongside conventional treatments it would cut their budgets by a third easily."

He urged more doctors to recommend complementary treatment alongside conventional therapies and save patients from "unnecessary surgery".

One of Dr Anand's patients who claims to have benefitted from the treatment, is retired Metro worker Thomas Armstrong.

The 69-year-old said he felt like "a new man" and no longer had to visit the bathroom six times a night.

Tomato growers

However, Professor Hing Leung, senior lecturer and urologist at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital, said: "I know many people believe in the benefits of lycopene.

"But I know some of my patients who have taken supplements for prostate problems and have come out in nasty rashes, so I'm not that convinced."

The British Tomato Growers' Association has said the benefits of consuming processed tomatoes is misleading.

It claims a 200ml bottle of ketchup would have to be eaten each day for any benefit to be achieved.