The Benefits and properties of tomato Are broad: it is antioxidant, prevents cardiovascular diseases, prevents cancer, reduces asthma symptoms... It is one of the most cultivated and consumed vegetables around the world, but we do not fully know the extent of its health properties.
The tomato, whose scientific name is Solanum lycopersicon , Is a vegetable (although many doubt if it is a fruit or vegetable) belonging to the Solanaceae family. It is an annual plant, and grows at ground level or even erect.
As for volume of production is considered the main fruit vegetable in the world and widely consumed as either fresh or processed product, pasta, juice, dehydrated and a multitude of other commercial presentations.
Statistics say China (it's so huge actually), United States, Turkey, Italy and India. Total annual production is estimated at about 160 million tonnes and per capita consumption of 18 kg per year for Europeans and 8 kg for the USA.
Chile is in 13th place in this area, and is cultivated throughout its territory (very extensive and with different climates), with a preferential production for fresh consumption, mostly domestic, close to 300 thousand tons per year.
How interesting is it? Apart from its exquisite taste
In research lines of health, its characteristics and in particular the health properties of one of its primordial components have been studied deeply; he Lycopene .
This is because frequent consumption of tomatoes has been associated with a decreased risk of developing degenerative chronic diseases (such as Alzheimer's , diabetes and others). This could be due to the abundant presence of different types of antioxidant compounds, such as carotenoids and in particular the aforementioned lycopene.
What is Lycopene?
It is neither more nor less than the lipophilic pigment that gives the characteristic red color of tomatoes and in less quantity to other fruits and vegetables, such as watermelon, pink grapefruit, papaya and apricot. This pigment is very stable in tomato, but extracted and purified tends to be quite unstable (for example its presentation in capsules).
Fresh tomato provides 90% of the lycopene needed by the body, since it is a micronutrient not synthesized by the human body, then it must be obtained from food.
Concentration of lycopene in tomatoes
In general, lycopene accumulates in tomato fruits from their immature state, increasing significantly as their ripening progresses. The lycopene content may also differ according to the variety, crop conditions and crop factors.
Toxicity of lycopene?
The toxicity of Carotenoids (Including tomato lycopene) observed in some studies is mainly due to the very high doses used experimentally. In turn these incredible high concentrations of one carotenoid interfere with the availability of another, as occurs between the Beta carotene And lycopene.
11 Benefits for Tomato Health
1- Antioxidant Properties
From the beginning we should know What is an antioxidant? In simple words it is a compound that prevents the harmful effect of free radicals in our body.
The lycopene of tomato acts by activating enzymes that are important for the elimination of foreign substances and generally harmful to health. Great point in favor of tomato consumption.
2- Prevention of cardiovascular diseases
The cardiovascular diseases Include for example; Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, arteriosclerosis or heart failure. The tomato, and specifically its regular consumption has a very important role in its prevention through its antiplatelet activity (prevents clots from forming), protection of the walls of blood vessels (prevents its thickness or stiffness is excessive) And oxidation resistance of the known"bad cholesterol"LDL.
3- Prevention of cancer
Cancer is a disease of high incidence and prevalence worldwide, characterized by the disproportionate proliferation of some cells in our body that begin to divide without stopping and spread to other tissues.
The tomato, and in particular the lycopene, can contribute to diminish the levels of cellular proliferation activating the called process Apoptosis , In charge of the death or selective elimination of cells that corresponds to discard by its dangerousness.
Among the many types of cancer that have been studied in relation to tomato consumption as a preventive measure, the best results have been obtained in bladder, prostate and stomach cancer. You will understand that much research is still being done in this regard, due to the enormous contingency of the subject.
4- Reduce asthma symptoms
Do you suffer from asthma? Or someone in your family? This disease is characterized in its genesis by a chronic difficulty to release the inspired air, which often triggers respiratory crisis, especially in winter season or associated with environmental emergencies.
In this sense, lycopene from tomatoes has been shown to reduce acute inflammation of the respiratory tract through intensive treatments with this product, which improve respiratory function to some extent
5- Antifungal effect
What relationship will they have? Among the many associations that have been found, it includes the antifungal effects of tomato (especially lycopene), which can promote the treatment of infections through the selective destruction of the cell membrane.
Consequently, consumption of tomato may kill a number of species of fungi that normally colonize humans (eg, candida albicans) and are usually quite resistant to some conventional treatments, depending on their nature.
6- The cooked tomato
It is good to consume it in salads and collages but also cooked tomato is very functional, as well as lycopene has the highest bioavailability (is best used by our body).
When subjected to high cooking temperatures, it exerts better makes its health effects, fulfilling its properties as antioxidant and anti carcinogen. Roasted tomato is a good option or better still a baked fish with tomato.
7- Peel the tomatoes
Although this vegetable is usually peeled, there is no scientifically proven reason to suggest or promote avoiding shell consumption, so this should be only on a personal basis (in taste there is nothing written).
In fact, the shell has a large part of the nutritional properties of the pulp and is very important for some culinary preparations such as tomato stuffed with tuna.
As advice, if you are not going to use the shell, you can sort it in the trash or use it
8- Tomato powder
As in so many foods, the tomato has not escaped to be transformed into its powder version (dehydrated tomato). The benefits of a powdered product are mainly conservation (they last much longer than natural), transport (it is cheaper) and practicality to be able to use it at any time or circumstance.
The heat treatment of the tomato can affect some of its nutrients, but not in a considerable way. According to my perspective if you supplement it with the consumption of natural tomato, there is no problem in its regular use.
More tomatoes and less scrap
The consumption of fruits, vegetables and vegetables has unfortunately been decreasing and being replaced by snacks or fast food called"junk food"that only helps to continue to sick day after day to our population.
Try to teach your children to enjoy the benefits of tomatoes and other vegetables. Its color is attractive, its flavor also and can be lent for many interventions with really didactic dishes for children. For this you can find multiple entertaining options on the web.
From the saying to the fact, now I present simple options for you to include tomatoes in your diet throughout the day:
- Breakfast : Tomato with scrambled eggs, tomato with ham, tomato with cheese, tomato with garlic.
- Salads : Tomato with onion, tomato with coriander , Tomato with mustard, tomato with chia.
- Lunch or dinner : Roasted tomatoes, stuffed tomatoes, tomato chicken, cream of tomatoes, baked potato with tomato.
Its multiple forms of consumption
Although tomatoes are usually eaten fresh (for example in salads) their wide range of processed and derived products may differ greatly in their nutritional composition.
To show you this, I tell you that during the whole process of harvesting, storage and transport the tomatoes lose a high proportion of ascorbic acid . On the other hand, the heat treatment (about 130 degrees Celsius) of tomato pulp improves the bioavailability of lycopene and other bioactive compounds.
What about ketchup or tomato sauces?
Eye with the excessive consumption of them, especially in hypertensive people because they are very high in their sodium content. Its fine characteristics differ mainly according to the country of manufacture but generally the tomato sauce contains oil and the ketchup lacks it.
In contrast, ketchup has more added sugar than tomato sauce. Finally the ketchup usually brings more"additives"in its formulation than conventional tomato sauces.
Current challenges in growing tomatoes
Current research guidelines aim in particular to seek to take advantage of the characteristics of tomatoes in terms of their wide global distribution and great acceptability, thus managing their nutrient content through their fortification with certain specific nutrients with functional properties in health, obtaining Results perhaps unimaginable in the medium and long term.
"War of the tomatoes"
In several countries tomatoes are used to carry out an activity that for many is funny and nice, but for others it is a tremendous nonsense and waste (each with his opinion).
In these massive parties, hundreds or thousands of people are mentioned to literally throw tomatoes right and left, in a kind of pitched battle, which even have specific rules for their development, have extensive marketing and are covered by the media .
Undoubtedly the most famous of them and known as" Tomatina "Is the one that takes place in the area of Valencia, Spain, every last Wednesday of August. In Chile a similar activity is also carried out, in the commune of Quillón to the south center of the nation. During the last version (the sixth), it is said that more than 100 tons of this vegetable were blown and explored, which is justified according to the organizers, among other reasons, by the use of quality third grade tomatoes and as a measure to increase Tourism in the area.
Undoubtedly this type of activities is benefited by the great abundance of tomatoes worldwide (I can not imagine it with other really scarce products).
Final Considerations
Personally I love the tomato and I especially consume it as a salad (with a little oil of wonder and salt). I love the lunch next to a plate of vegetables like beans or lentils, or with the traditional humitas (based on corn). In Chile also is very common to prepare it with onion, to that it is called"salad to the Chilean one". Later on I also fancy a few tomatoes with scrambled eggs, to that we call"tomaticán".
I imagine that you also consume tomato, either on a regular or occasional basis. If you have any consideration you can share it in the comments.
And what about other healthy tomato properties?
References
- Palomo, Iván et al. Tomato consumption prevents the development of cardiovascular events and cancer: epidemiologic antecedents and action mechanism, Idesia [online]. 2010, vol.28, n.3
- Popkin, B.M. 2002. An overview on the nutrition transition and its health implications: the Bellagio meeting. Public Health Nutr, 5: 93-103.
- Assunta Raiola, Gian Carlo Tenore, Amalia Barone, Luigi Frusciante and Maria Manuela Rigano, Vitamin E Content and Composition in Tomato Fruits: Beneficial Roles and Bio-Fortification Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2015, 16, 29250-29264.
- Raiola, A.; Rigano, M.M.; Calafiore, R.; Frusciante, L.; Barone, A. Enhancing the health promoting effects of tomato fruit for biofortified food. Mediat. Inflamm. 2014.
- Abushita, A.A.; Daood, H.G.; Biacs, P.A. Change in carotenoids and antioxidant vitamins in tomato as a function of varietal and technological factors. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2000, 48, 2075-2081.
- Ping Chen, MD, Wenhao Zhang, MD, Xiao Wang, MD, Keke Zhao, MD, Devendra Singh Negi, MD, Zhuo Li, MD, Mao Qi, MD, Xinghuan Wang, MD, and Xinhua Zhang, MD, PhD, Lycopene And risk of prostate cancer, a sistematic review, MD Journal Volume 94, Number 33, August 2015.
- Kirsh VA, Mayne ST, Peters U, et al. A prospective study of lycopene and tomato product intake and risk of prostate cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2006; 15: 92-98.
- Assunta Raiola, MariaManuela Rigano, Roberta Calafiore Luigi Frusciante, and Amalia Barone, Enhancing the Health-Promoting Effects of Tomato Fruit for Biofortified Food, Hindawi Publishing Corporation, Mediators of Inflammation Volume 2014, Article ID 139873, 16 pages.