EAT TOMATOES T PREVENT STROKE.

The benefits of tomatoes are not in doubt anymore. In addition to containing high doses of Vitamin C, tomatoes are also known to contain lycopene, an antioxidant that experts say can protect from stroke, reports Sade Oguntola.

Past research has shown that a diet rich in lycopene-containing foods such as tomatoes, pink grapefruit, pawpaw, watermelon, and guava, may help lower the risk of prostate and other cancers. Now, a new study has found that tomatoes, a rich source of lycoprene may help reduce the risk of suffering a stroke by half or more.

Tomatoes are widely available; people of all ages and cultures like them, they are cost effective, and are available in many forms. It’s easier for the body to use lycopene that comes from tomato products, such as tomato paste or tomato juice, than from fresh tomatoes. 

Cooked tomatoes tend to have a greater effect on blood levels of lycopene than raw tomatoes or tomato juice. Cooking breaks down tomato’s cell walls and makes it easier for your body to absorb the antioxidants. But tomato juice is rich in nutrients such as magnesium, potassium, iron, iodine, potassium, zinc, fluoride, vitamins A, C, organic acids and more.

In this study, the researchers found that men with the highest levels of lycopene, a chemical that gives fruits like tomatoes and guava their brilliant red, orange, and yellow colouring, were at half the risk of suffering a stroke than men with the lowest levels of this chemical substance.

Stroke is more common than most people realise. Nearly 90 per cent of the strokes that take place in this country are ischemic strokes, which occur as a result of a blockage (usually a clot) in a blood vessel that supplies blood to the brain. A hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a weakened blood vessel ruptures.

There is a growing incidence of strokes in people between the ages of 18 and 65 due to obesity and controlled high blood pressure. A stroke takes place in the brain. If the blood supply to the neurons (nervous cells in the brain) in the brain is cut off either because of a blood clot or a disease of the blood vessels, those neurons die. That’s what a stroke is.

Although strokes do run in families, it is both preventable and treatable. But the most common symptoms of stroke include sudden onset of numbness or weakness on one side, double vision, confusion, lack of coordination, and trouble understanding what someone is saying.

In the report just published in the journal Neurology, a team of researchers made this connection after following 1,031 men from Finland between the ages of 46 and 65. The blood levels of their lycopene, alpha- and beta-carotene, and vitamins E and A were measured over 12-year period.

During the period, 67 men had a stroke. Among the men with the lowest levels of lycopene, 25 of 258 men had a stroke. Among those with the highest levels of lycopene, 11 of 259 men had a stroke when compared to 25 among the one quarter with the lowest levels.

The researchers, who took into account some major factors that affect stroke risk like smoking, high blood pressure and diabetes, found that men with the greatest amounts of lycopene in their blood had a 55 per cent lower chance of having any kind of stroke. 

The lycopene connection was even stronger (59 per cent) when it came to protecting against strokes due to blood clots (the most common kind) rather than a bleed on the brain.

In addition, although the study did not extend to women or young individuals, researchers expect that a diet high in carotenoids and fruits and vegetables will hold similar preventive effects for the general population.

Past studies have linked tomatoes to better heart, blood vessel and brain health, but there hasn’t been a clear understanding of why tomatoes might promote health. But the current study suggested that in addition to the ability of lycopene to attack free radicals, it also improves immune function, prevents blood from clotting, and decrease the ability of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol to form the plaques in blood vessel that can cause heart attacks and ischemic strokes (a type of stroke caused by clot-caused blockages in blood flow to the brain).

While the study points to tomatoes as a food that can lower stroke risk, it also reinforces the current recommendations for people to get a well-balanced diet, with fruits and vegetables.  For instance, a diet that might reduce stroke risk is the “DASH” diet that has been shown to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. It advocates cutting salt and getting more fibre-rich grains, nuts and legumes, and low-fat dairy, as well as four to five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

Research has additionally found a relationship between eating tomatoes and a lower risk of certain cancers as well as other conditions, including cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, ultraviolet light-induced skin damage, and cognitive dysfunction, according to a review article, the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine.

However, this research should not deter people from eating other types of fruit and vegetables as they all have health benefits and remain an important part of a staple diet. For instance, including such fruits as citrus into everyday meal can lower stroke risk. According to a study published in the journal Stroke, flavonoids, a common antioxidant in citrus fruits like oranges, was caused a 19 per cent reduction in risk of stroke in women.