Pizza is one food whose health benefits . Italian scientists claimed that eating pizza once a week can protect against some cancers. Reduces your risk of oral cancer by 34 percent, colon cancer by over 25 percent, and esophageal cancer by a whopping 59 percent. Some studies have linked consumption of the antioxidant lycopene, which exists in tomato products that are often used on pizza, as having a beneficial health effect. The study of 8,000 people found that those who ate pizza as a healthy snack one or more times a week were several times less likely to get colon cancer than those who chose other meals. Dr Silvano Gallus, of the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmaceutical Research in Milan, attributed it to lycopene, an antioxidant chemical in tomatoes, which is thought to offer some protection against cancer.