What nutrients does tomato have? What are the benefits and functions of tomato?

In fact, eating tomatoes regularly is good for our body. Here are some nutritional information about tomatoes:

Prevent and inhibit cancer

The preventive effect of vegetables and fruits on many human cancers is certain. Among the various possible anti-cancer ingredients, lycopene may be the main one. As early as the 1950s, American medical experts first announced that lycopene has anti-cancer effects.

Gjovannucci et al. conducted a six-year follow-up survey on 47,894 residents and found that 812 of these subjects developed prostate cancer between 1982 and 1992. The intake of tomato sauce, tomato juice, tomatoes, and pizza can reduce the risk of this cancer.

A medical research institute in Japan conducted a survey in four regions with different incidence rates of gastric cancer. It measured the levels of vitamins A, C, E, carotene and lycopene in the residents' plasma and found that the higher the concentration of plasma lycopene, the lower the incidence rate of gastric cancer.

Protect cardiovascular system

Some researchers have suggested that lycopene may protect against cardiovascular disease.

Dutch scholars selected 66 patients with myocardial infarction and measured the carotenoid content in their subcutaneous fat. They found that the patients' lycopene content was lower than that of healthy people, and that the α-carotene and c-carotene content were also significantly lower than that of normal people, indicating that these carotenoids are closely related to the occurrence of myocardial infarction.

In the occurrence and development of atherosclerosis, lipoprotein oxidation in the vascular endothelium is a key factor. Carotene, lycopene, lutein and zeaxanthin in lipoproteins play an important role in reducing lipoprotein oxidation.

It is also reported that oral intake of natural lycopene can reduce serum cholesterol to below 5.20 mmol/L, which can be used to prevent and treat high cholesterol or hyperlipidemia and slow the development of cardiovascular disease.

Antioxidant function

The reason why lycopene has anti-cancer and cardiovascular protective effects is inseparable from its antioxidant function.

The test of lycopene against UV damage is an example of its antioxidant function. Researchers supplemented 10 healthy people with 28 mg of carotene and 2 mg of lycopene for 1 to 2 months, and the area and degree of erythema caused by UV rays were reduced. In addition, 16 healthy women exposed a piece of skin to a certain dose of UV rays, and the results showed that the concentration of lycopene in the irradiated skin decreased, but the concentration of carotene did not change, suggesting that lycopene may be involved in the process of defending against skin carcinogenesis.

Inhibit mutagenesis

One of the important mechanisms of tumor formation is that tissue cells undergo gene mutation under the influence of external mutagens. Lycopene can block this process and play an anti-cancer role.

Residents in the Mediterranean region often eat grilled food, which contains a high level of mutagens and is prone to induce tumors. However, survey data show the opposite result: the incidence of cervical cancer, prostate cancer and liver cancer in these areas is relatively low. The reason is that local residents often eat tomatoes, especially in southern Italy and Greece, where the staple food of the people is often eaten with tomato sauce. When grilling fish or meat, tomato sauce is also used, because the fish will not brown, thus reducing the formation of mutagens such as amines during the cooking process. This cooking method averts danger, reduces the effect of mutagens in grilled foods, and greatly reduces their carcinogenicity rate.

It is worth mentioning that the amount of tomatoes consumed by residents in Western countries every day is much greater than that of Asians. The amount of tomatoes and tomato products they eat is second only to potatoes. In this regard, it is very necessary for Chinese residents to learn a little bit of "using foreign things for Chinese benefit" - eat more tomatoes.