It seems like there’s no end to what you can do with tomatoes. They’re everywhere in and on our food, from the sauce on your spaghetti and the salsa loaded on your chips to the ketchup dripping from your fries. And of course, a necessary part of any salad.
1. Lower heart disease risk and cholesterol.
Heart disease is a leading cause of death in the U.S. and worldwide. But researchers have discovered that a diet that includes tomatoes. UFABET Which are rich in lycopene, helps reduce this risk. A review of 25 previous trials found that high blood levels of lycopene reduced heart disease risk by 14%.
Interestingly, how tomatoes are prepared can affect the level of healthy goodness your body takes in. The same research review compared the heart health effects of eating:
- Raw tomatoes.
- Tomato sauce.
- Tomato sauce with olive oil.
Tomatoes are good for your cholesterol levels, too. In a small study of 15 people, participants drank tomato juice (any amount) four days a week for two months. At the end of two months, the participants had lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and higher HDL (“good”) cholesterol than when the study began.
2. Lower cancer risk.
People who eat more tomatoes have a lower risk of lung, prostate and stomach cancer.
Researchers believe the lycopene and beta-carotene in tomatoes reduce your cancer risk. These two antioxidants have demonstrated anticancer properties in test tube studies using cells. But it’s difficult to know for sure until we have full-scale human studies.