Tomatoes Prevent Heart Disease
Last reviewed: 16.05.2018
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American scientists have studied the effects of tomatoes and derived products on a person's well-being. Workers at Boston University found that regular consumption of fresh or canned tomatoes has a beneficial effect on the health of the cardiovascular system.
The results of a recent study showed that lycopene, which is abundant in tomatoes, can reduce the likelihood of heart disease by 20-25%. Lycopene is an insoluble pigment that determines the red-orange color of tomatoes and is an isomer of beta-carotene.
American scientists said about the beneficial properties of tomatoes based on the results of an eleven-year study. Under the supervision of physicians, there were several hundred volunteers, some of whom daily consumed tomatoes and derivatives. The second part of participants practically excluded tomatoes from the daily diet. After 11 years, scientists compared the analyzes and indicators of participants, conducted a survey, which was attended by a large number of questions about the health and diseases that have manifested during the study. Participants provided detailed records of their diet throughout the experiment, close attention was paid to the presence of tomato products in the daily menu.
The obtained data allow to assert about the benefits of tomatoes, since people who had a large number of tomatoes in their diet were 25% less likely to have heart disease. The results showed that lycopene, which is found in tomatoes, has a positive effect on heart function and helps reduce the likelihood of diseases by 25%. Doctors advise to regularly eat fruits and vegetables containing lycopene as a preventive measure of diseases of the cardiovascular system. According to the recommendations on the use of food additives, you should consume about 5 mg of lycopene per day. Tomatoes are the most affordable and tasty vegetable that contains the pigment necessary for the human body. One kilogram of tomatoes contains about 10-45 mg of lycopene. It is noteworthy that lycopene is abundant in all derivatives of tomato products: tomato paste, vegetable juice, even ketchup can be considered as sources of nutrients.
The study showed that the risk of coronary heart disease is proportional to the content of lycopene in the blood, so doctors are strongly recommended to people who are prone to heart disease diet, which will contain enough tomatoes and fresh tomato juice. Previous studies have confirmed that lycopene has a positive effect on the risks of developing oncological diseases such as prostate cancer and stomach cancer. Also, information was published that products containing red pigment can be used as auxiliary substances in internal inflammatory processes. Also, a study was conducted that showed that lycopene, unfortunately, can not affect the impairment of cerebral circulation and diseases of the nervous system.