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Tomatoes are reputed to be at the center of the famed good health of Mediterranean populations, including those in the Longevity Hot Spots, Symi, Sardinia and Campodimele. You are never far away from tomatoes in the Mediterranean – whether they are growing on the vine, freshly-sliced into a Greek salad with olive oil, added to a casserole with lots of garlic and herbs, spread over pizza, or poured over pasta.
The main feature of tomatoes, health-wise, is that they are the richest food source of lycopene, the carotenoid responsible for the reds and pinks found in tomatoes, watermelon, rosehips, guavas and pink grapefruit. Lycopene, an antioxidant more powerful than vitamins E or C, has been found in numerous studies to help protect against prostate cancer, heart disease and cervical cancer, which is why tomatoes have been credited with the low rates of these diseases amongst Mediterranean populations. And in a Harvard study of almost 48,000 men, it was found that those eating tomatoes regularly were 45 per cent less likely to get prostate cancer than those eating none (1).
Eating tomatoes may also help keep your brain young. In the 1986 ‘Nun Study’ at the University of Kentucky, it was found that elderly women with the lowest levels of lycopene in their blood had the lowest ability to perform physical and mental tasks such as getting dressed and going to the bathroom without help.
To get the most benefits from tomatoes, it is best to eat them cooked, since this makes the lycopene more available. It is also best to add olive oil or to eat them with oily fish, since lycopene is a fat-soluble antioxidant and uses the oil to be transported to our cells.
Tomatoes are also high in vitamin C and folic acid and they block the formation of carcinogenic compounds called nitrosamines. Processed meats contain compounds which turn into nitrosamines, so if you must have a hot dog, try to make sure you eat tomatoes with it.
References
(1) GIOVANUCCI, E, et al (1995). Intake of Carotenoids and Retinol in Relation to the Risk of Prostate Cancer. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 87:1767-1776.
http://www.akealife.com/greek-salad-a-heart-friendly-meal/
