Tomatoes: The Key to Reducing Cholesterol
by Ashleigh Feltham, Accredited Practising Dietitian and Accredited Nutritionist.

Tomatoes are a popular basic ingredient for salads and sandwiches. For good reason: tomatoes offer many health benefits. They are a good source of vitamin C, K, fibre and lycopene.

Lycopene is a type of antioxidant, which is a plant compound that helps remove excess free radicals. Excess free radicals can cause damage and disease to the cells of your body and lead to chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers like prostate cancer. Lycopene may also improve the health of your skin.

The positive effects of lycopene on heart health, in particular cholesterol levels, are less well known. A study investigated the potential effects of tomato on cholesterol levels.

It was found that either eating 300g of tomatoes or 25mg of a lycopene supplement every day for two weeks reduced LDL cholesterol levels of participants by 10%. LDL cholesterol in excess amounts begin to build up in the arteries to form plaques, which can lead to heart attack.

Researchers conclude that tomatoes reduce the build-up of plaque in your arteries, as well as supporting the body’s use of oxygen to remove fat molecules.

Eating 300g of fresh tomatoes daily may seem like a lot of tomatoes. The good news is there are forms of tomato that provide a higher level of lycopene. For example, tomato paste contains six times more lycopene and tomato sauce contains over five times the lycopene as fresh tomatoes per 100g.

Lycopene is also found in guava, which has 1.7 times the amount of lycopene, and watermelon, which contains 1.5 times the amount of lycopene per 100g as fresh tomatoes.

Tomato soup is another way to boost your lycopene intake. Soup is also a savvy sauce base for your next pasta dish. Add a slice of toast with cream cheese and sliced tomato, or a cheese and tomato sandwich. Try making a guava paste to go with cheese and crackers.

Take-home message:

No one magical food is the key to overall health and longevity. Enjoying a variety of fruit and vegetables is the best strategy to promote overall health, including the health of your heart. Each fruit and vegetable has different nutrients and antioxidants that protect the health of your body in different ways. As part of an overall varied and balanced diet to support the health of your heart, add a lycopene source of produce to your day.

References:

1. Cheng HM, Koutsidis G, Lodge JK, Ashor A, Siervo M, Lara J. Tomato and lycopene supplementation and cardiovascular risk factors: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Atherosclerosis. 2017 Feb;257:100-108. doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2017.01.009. Epub
2. Top 10 Foods Highest in Lycopene. My Food Data.
3. LDL: The ‘Bad’ Cholesterol. National Library of Medicine.