Even though freshly picked tomatoes are one of the great treats of summer, they weren't always viewed in a positive light. As a member of the nightshade family, which includes poisonous plants such as belladonna, people refused to eat the potentially poisonous tomato for many years. In the 1800s they became accepted as an edible and delicious food, and now they're recognized for their nutritional and health benefits.
About Tomatoes
Technically a fruit, but usually considered a vegetable for culinary purposes, tomatoes are a great source of vitamins A, C and K, as well as the essential mineral potassium. They also provide B vitamins and iron, contain no fat, and are very low in calories. In addition to their nutritional value, tomatoes deliver an added health benefit in the form of lycopene.
Tomatoes and Lycopene
Carotenoids are responsible for the yellow, orange and red pigments in plants. Lycopene is the carotenoid that gives tomatoes their red color. It's also a powerful antioxidant that helps protect against heart disease and reduces the risk of some types of cancer, such as prostate and cervical cancers. Since your body can't produce lycopene, you must get it through your diet, and tomatoes are one of the best sources. Sun-dried tomatoes and canned products such as tomato sauce and tomato paste provide more lycopene than any other food source, with .02 to .04 g for every 100 g of food, according to the website Dietary Fiber Food. Raw tomatoes have about .003 g/100 g.
Lycopene and Cholesterol
Studies suggest that lycopene reduces health risks associated with high cholesterol. In a study reported in "The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry" in January 2011, Paola Palozza and her fellow researchers found that lycopene helps reduce the risk of atherosclerosis by changing cholesterol metabolism. Karin Ried and Peter Fakler conducted an analysis of studies published between 1955 and September 2010 that investigated the effect of lycopene on cholesterol. Their results, published in December 2010 in the journal "Maturitas," concluded that when taken in doses of 25 mg of more daily, lycopene reduced LDL cholesterol by 10 percent.
Considerations
Lycopene is fat soluble, so when tomatoes are served together with oils in a sauce, it is more easily absorbed by the body. Even though some types of nutrients, such as vitamin C, are lost during cooking, the opposite is true of lycopene. The amount of lycopene available to the body is increased when tomatoes are processed. When combined with fat and heated during processing, the molecules in lycopene are restructured in a way that makes them easier for the body to transport into the blood stream, according to research conducted at Ohio State University.
References
- Linus Pauling Institute; Carotenoids; Jane Higdon, Ph.D.; 2005
- Dietary Fiber Food: Lycopene: Health Benefits and Food Sources
- Ohio State University; Research News: Turning Up the Heat on Tomatoes Boosts the Absorption of Lycopene; Emily Caldwell; August 2008
- "The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry"; Lycopene Regulation of Cholesterol Synthesis and Efflux in Human Macrophages; Paola Palozza, et al.; January 2011
- "Maturitas"; Protective Effect of Lycopene on Serum Cholesterol and Blood Pressure; Karin Ried and Peter Fakler; December 2010
