Tomatoes are high in Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Vitamin C, Calcium, Potassium, iron, phosphorus, and most importantly Lycopene.
Scientists are suggesting the tomato lovers may be more likely to reduce the risk of serious disease. Lycopene, an anti oxidant which gives tomatoes their lovely rich red colour, helps remove free radicals from the body. Free radicals are unstable oxygen molecules and have been implicated in cancer and other serious diseases. Tomatoes, processed tomato products and tomato-based products have the following benefit.
Reduce The Risk of Cancer Regular high consumption of fruits and vegetables is recommended as part of healthy eating. Epidemiological studies have
shown that high intake of lycopene-containing vegetables is inversely associated with the incidence of certain types of cancer. For example, habitual intake of tomato products has been found to decrease the risk of cancer of the digestive tract among Italians.
In one six-year study by Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, the diets of more than 47,000 men were studied. Of 46 fruits and vegetables evaluated, only the tomato products (which contain large quantities of lycopene) showed a measurable relationship to reduce prostate cancer risk. As consumption of tomato products increased, levels of lycopene in the blood increased, and the risk for prostate cancer decreased. The study also showed that the heat processing of tomatoes and tomato products increases lycopene's bioavailability.
Another study published in the International Journal of Cancer said that lycopene appears to protect against cancer of the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, colon and rectum. Researchers at the University of
Illinois report that women with the highest lycopene levels had a five fold lower risk of developing precancerous signs of cervical cancer than women with lowest lycopene levels.
The human body does not produce lycopene alone and therefore relies on a consumption of tomatoes and tomato based products for this anti oxidant. Nutritionists and other health professionals have long advocated the cancer preventative benefits of a diet high in fruits and vegetables.
Powerful antioxidant
The functions of tackling cancers and protecting your heart are contributing to tomatoes' powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants, such as lycopene, prevent the happening of the cancers which are caused by free radicals. The scientists from the Juntendo University School of Medicine in Tokyo believe other ingredients in tomato juice may also have played a part. They now want to test tomato juice on human patients with COPD. The findings were published in the American Journal of Physiology.
Usually, processing robs food of its nutrients, but in the case of the mighty tomato, the opposite is true. Lycopene is more concentrated in cooked or processed tomato products and is also more easily absorbed. Eating tomatoes with a little fat aids lycopene absorption as well, so enjoying tomatoes with cheese or olive oil is both delicious and practical.
Protect Your heart
Professor Michael Avirim of the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, Israel who is testing lycopene in clinical trials says, ' In its natural form, lycopene is an excellent anti oxidant that helps to prevent formation of oxidized LDL, the 'bad' cholesterol in blood, which contributes to the build up of plaque that narrows, stiffens and constricts arteries and can lead to heart attacks. When this natural extract was added to cancer cell cultures, the lycopene inhibited their growth. Lycopene is the most potent nutritional antioxidant found to date.
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