You don’t need to worry about buying fresh or organic when it comes to this fruit, as he said the tinned version provides the most benefits
A nutrition expert has revealed a powerhouse fruit that could provide a myriad of health benefits, even lowering cholesterol and protecting the heart. According to Professor Tim Spector, the founder of ZOE Health, we should all be trying to get more tomatoes into our diets.
He also said they could reduce the risk of stroke, and protect the skin in a recent post online. Speaking on social media platform Instagram, the epidemiologist shared how to get the most out of your tomatoes.
In a video he said: “Tomatoes. They’re not only delicious but also incredibly good for you packed with the polyphenol called lycopene which can help to lower cholesterol, support your heart health, reduce your risk of strokes and even improve your skin. At least four studies have shown that lycopene from tomatoes can help to protect your skin from UV damage.”
If you can, he advised eating tomatoes alongside olive oil for the best results. Tim explained: “According to one of these small studies, eating 40 grams of tomato paste with 10 grams of olive oil every day reduced sunburn risk by 40 percent. To get the biggest benefit from tomatoes and the best flavour, enjoy them with olive oil for better, absorption of that fat soluble, lycopene.”
The study mentioned was published in the Journal of Nutrition in 2001. As part of a trial, a group of people ate 40 grams of tomato paste alongside 10 grams of olive oil over a 10 week period.
Another group received just 10 grams of olive oil. At the end of the 10 weeks, the group who ate the tomato paste had 40 percent lower levels of erythema – a type of skin rash caused by injured or inflamed blood capillaries.
Tim also referenced another scientific study, published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition in 2019. The meta-analysis showed that a high intake of lycopene from tomatoes could massively reduce the risk of stroke, cardiovascular disease and death.
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More specifically it calculated “significant reductions” in the risk of stroke by 26 per cent, cardiovascular disease by 14 per cent and mortality by 37 per cent. Study authors noted: “Evidence from three studies suggested that higher intakes of tomato were associated with non-significantly lower stroke, cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease.”
You may think you need the freshest tomatoes to get all the health benefits from them. However, Tim added that using tinned tomatoes is actually the best option. “Don’t be afraid of using tinned tomatoes, these have even more lycopene than fresh,” he said.
