A recently published study shows that drinking unsalted tomato juice may significantly lower the risks of cardiovascular disease.
The Study
By drinking unlimited unsalted tomato juice throughout a year, patients with untreated hypertension had a decrease in blood pressure. Systolic blood pressure decreased from an average of 141.2 to 137.0 mmHg, and diastolic from an average of 83.3 to 80.9 mmHg.
Patients with high cholesterol had a decrease in LDL from an average of 155.0 to 149.9 mg/dL. These effects were similar among both men and women, and also among different age groups.
Why Tomato Juice May Help At Risk Patients
According to guidelines from the American Heart Association, the parameters move patients from hypertension stage 2 to hypertension stage 1.
It’s the first study to investigate tomato consumption throughout one year and among a wide group of ages. It explores how tomatoes affect the risk markers of cardiovascular disease. The significance is that while people can modify their lifestyle habits like smoking, natural age progression still increases cardiovascular risks. A modifier such as added tomato juice consumption to a healthy diet, could benefit all age groups.
It’s no secret that tomatoes provide a significant boost of antioxidants. It also contains an array of active biocompounds like carotenoid, vitamin A, calcium, and gamma‐aminobutyric acid. These compounds may play the role of cardiovascular disease prevention, in the form of a daily dose of tomato juice.
The Bottom Line
The results are not staggering.
But they point scientists in a promising direction – that tomato juice can lower the risks of cardiovascular disease. With more research, scientists can isolate the properties of tomatoes and identify what exactly lowers blood pressure and LDL cholesterol.
If they don’t synthesize a drug derived from this phenomenon, people can still rely on tomatoes and healthy tomato products. Every little bit helps. And prevention is key to avoiding aggressive cardiovascular diseases.
For more information on cardiovascular conditions and prevention visit https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/.
