Tomatoes are widely known for their outstanding
antioxidant content, including, of course, their oftentimes-rich concentration
of lycopene.
Supports Heart
Health
Intake of
tomatoes has long been linked to heart health.
Reduced risk of
heart disease is an area of health benefits in which tomatoes truly excel.
There are two basic lines of research that have repeatedly linked tomatoes to
heart health. The first line of research involves antioxidant support, and the
second line of research involves regulation of fats in the bloodstream.
Fresh tomato is very rich in potassium. 100 g contain 237
mg of potassium and just 5 mg of sodium. Potassium is an important component of
cell and body fluids that helps controlling Heart Rate and Blood Pressure caused
by sodium.
Supports Bone
Health
Bone health is
another area of growing interest in tomato research. Interestingly, the
connection of tomato intake to bone health involves the rich supply of
antioxidant in tomatoes. The study investigators concluded that removal of
lycopene-containing foods (tomatoes) from the diet is likely to put women at
increased risk of osteoporosis.
Anti-Cancer
Benefits
The
antioxidants present in tomatoes are scientifically found to be protective of
cancers, including colon, prostate, breast, endometrial, lung, and pancreatic
tumors.
Tomatoes have repeatedly been shown to provide us with
anti-cancer benefits. There is a very large amount of research on tomato
antioxidants and a limited but still important amount of research on tomato
anti-inflammatory nutrients. Risk for many cancer types starts out with chronic
oxidative stress and chronic unwanted inflammation. For this reason, foods(like
Tomato) that provide us with strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory support show cancer prevention properties.
Research on tomatoes and breast cancer risk has largely
focused on the carotenoid lycopene, and there is fairly well documented risk
reduction for breast cancer in association with lycopene intake.
Lycopene, a flavonoid antioxidant, is an unique
phytochemical present in the tomatoes. Together with carotenoids, lycopene help protect cells and other structures in
the human body from harmful oxygen-free radicals. Studies have shown that
lycopene protects the skin from ultra-violet (UV) rays and thus offers defence against skin cancer.
Interestingly, it has
more health-benefiting compounds than that of an apple! Tomatoes are likely to
rise further and further toward the top of the list as healthy Slimming foods.
