How Tomatoes Fight Heart Disease
One reason a Mediterranean-style diet is so healthy is that is contains plenty of tomatoes. You just can’t cook Italian without them. Population studies show that people eating lots of tomatoes are less likely to develop heart disease than people who eat few tomatoes. But just how do these versatile fruits offer heart disease protection?
That question was addressed by Finnish researchers in a recent study. They measured blood levels of a number of heart-protective factors in a group of people who ate, first, a low-tomato diet for three weeks, then a high-tomato diet for another three weeks. (On the high-tomato diet, they got about 1 ½ cups of tomato juice and two tablespoons of catsup per day.) They found that the high-tomato diet dropped total cholesterol an average of 5.9% and LDL cholesterol an average of 12.9%, compared to the low-tomato diet, reducing their risk for heart disease. The high-tomato diet also improved LDL’s resistance to oxidation by 13%. (Oxidation is a first step in the heart-clogging deposit of cholesterol on artery walls.) (Silaste, ML, et al. Br J Nutr 2007; 98(6): 1251-8.)
What’s the source of tomato’s power? For one thing, they contain lycopene, a red pigment also found in guavas, pink grapefruit, watermelon and a limited number of other foods. Lycopene is a strong, fat-soluble antioxidant, and is best absorbed exactly the way lots of Mediterranean dishes are prepared –cooked, with some fat, such as olive oil. Tomatoes also contain an array of antioxidant carotenoids, including beta-carotene, good amounts of vitamin C, and something called steroidal glycoalkaloid tomatine. This compound, unique to tomatoes, forms strong insoluble complexes with cholesterol, and has been shown to reduce cholesterol levels in animals.
The Anti-Aging Bottom Line: Did you know that somebody in the U.S. dies from heart disease every 34 seconds? But there are easy, preventative measure you can take to protect yourself. Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant and may protect against heart disease. Eat plenty of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, like tomatoes. To ensure that you are getting an adequate amount of lycopene on a daily basis, we suggest including it in your supplements regimen.
QUICK TIP: In addition to lycopene, some other fat-soluble antioxidant nutrients are made more absorbable when they are combined with fat. Learn More.
Written exclusively for Stop Aging Now, the authority on anti-aging research, anti-aging nutrition, and anti-aging supplements.
