Is The Tomato The New Heart Medicine?
According to an article in The Mail on Sunday (7 June 2009) the humble tomato has become the latest in a long line of so-called "super foods".
A new dietary pill has been developed called "Ateronon" which contains lycopene. Lycopene has been found to reduce the affects of LDL cholesterol by up to 90% in as little as 8 weeks. A neurovascular surgeon at Addenbrooke"s Hospital, Cambridge, Peter Kirkpatrick, says that according to his research the supplement's effect is sufficient to protect the body from the risks of heart disease and strokes.
But before you all rush out and buy a shed load of tomatoes, it's only a certain type of tomato that delivers a particularly potent form of Lycopene - the tangerine tomato.
Don't worry though, the normal tomato variety still contains lycopene. Interestingly the benefits of Lycopene actually increases when the tomato is cooked and it becomes easier to digest. Therefore you can happily eat your pizza, tomato sauce and pasta sauces safe in the knowledge that you are also doing some good. Not only is the tomato good for your heart, studies have also shown that eating tomatoes reduces the risk of developing pancreatic cancer, arthritis and helps to cut your cholesterol levels by up to 5.9% according to the British Journal of Nutrition.
So how do you tell which are the best tomatoes to eat? Well generally speaking, the more red and the riper the tomato is, so much the better, also if it's organic that can help increase the benefits by up to 3 times that of ordinary tomatoes.
Follow this link for the full story on the effects of Lycopene on the body
