Tomatoes Protect Against Coronary Heart Disease

Author: Joe Fowler Time for reading: ~1 minutes Last Updated: August 08, 2022

Tomatoes Protect Against Coronary Heart Disease

The study was conducted by scientists from Taft University in the United States.

Eating tomatoes reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a new study.

Lycopene - an antioxidant that gives tomatoes their bright red color, has a powerful cardioprotective effect, say researchers from Taft University, USA. They came to this conclusion after analyzing data on the effects of tomatoes on the cardiovascular system, collected over 10 years. Previous research on the subject has led to conflicting conclusions. Some have shown a reduction in cardiovascular disease, while others show no statistically significant relationship.

To clarify the issue, researchers at Taft University compared cardiovascular disease and eating habits of hundreds of volunteers who kept a detailed record of their eating habits, including eating tomatoes and tomato products.

Results published in the current issue of the British Journal of Nutrition , showed that the consumption of foods rich in lycopene, for a prolonged period, reducing the risk of coronary heart disease by 26%, but did not affect the risk of myocardial infarction.

Researchers believe that this provides a definitive answer to the question of whether tomatoes reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, but also point out that this raises new questions: "Is lycopene responsible for this or something else in tomatoes?" So far, there is evidence that lycopene gives cardiopretective effect to tomatoes, but this can be answered with certainty only after more serious studies.

Other studies have linked the antioxidant properties of tomatoes to a lower risk of prostate cancer and depression .

Tomatoes Protect Against Coronary Heart Disease

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