Just How Good are Tomatoes for Us?

Tomato sauce, tomato juice, tomato soup, ketchup. Tomato slices, tomato wedges, salsa. Tomatoes in salads, on sandwiches, or just by themselves. We eat tomatoes in so many different ways and we know they are a healthy food. But what do they actually do to promote good health in our bodies? Research shows they do a whole lot!    

     Starting with the basics, tomatoes are chocked full of vitamins and minerals: Vitamins C, A, E, K, B1 and B6, potassium, manganese, chromium and iron, just to name a very few. But they are probably most known as being an outstanding source of lycopene, an antioxidant which neutralizes free radicals that can damage cells, shielding the body from many diseases, including cancer and heart disease.

     Scientists have known for some time that tomatoes are positively associated with heart health. They are known to help lower total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, and to help prevent the clumping of platelets in the blood, thereby warding off diseases like atherosclerosis.      

     In recent days, tomatoes are being touted as having anti-cancer benefits. The risk for cancer is increasingly being noted by a condition of chronic oxidative stress and inflammation. Tomatoes, and other foods high with anti-oxidants, are being known for having cancer prevention properties. 

     One of the newest areas of interest in the benefits of tomatoes is in healthy bones. Some research has suggested a link between lycopene-rich tomatoes and bone health. In a several week study, menopausal women showed changes in bone tissue and oxidative stress in their bones when lycopene sources, including tomatoes, was eliminated from their diets. 

     Tomatoes are actually a fruit rather than a vegetable. There are hundreds of types with varying sizes, colors and uses, from cherry tomatoes to top your salad, a slice of a beefsteak to top your hamburger, to plum tomatoes for tomato sauce or paste. Whether red, orange, yellow or green, all contain beneficial amounts of lycopene, vitamins and minerals.