Tomatoes reduce the risk of stroke enormously

Herbal ingredient of tomatoes reduces the risk of stroke

09/10/2012

High tomato consumption reduces the risk of stroke. This is the result in the trade magazine „Neurology“ published study by Finnish researchers Jouni Karppi from the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio.

Previous studies had the „Intake of fruits and vegetables and serum levels of carotenoids have been associated with a reduced risk of stroke, but the results remained contradictory“, report the Finnish scientists. Your goal was therefore „to investigate whether serum concentrations of key carotenoids, α-Tocopherol and retinol“, related to strokes in men.

Stroke risk studied in more than 1,000 men
In their study, Finnish researchers examined the data of 1,031 Finnish men between the ages of 46 and 65 over a 12-year period. In addition to possible strokes, the serum concentrations of various carotenoids were recorded. Overall, "67 strokes have occurred, 50 of them were ischemic strokes," write the Finnish researchers in the US journal „Neurology“. Taking into account other risk factors such as age, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, diabetes and tobacco consumption, the carotenoid lycopene study had a very positive impact on stroke risk. Lycopene is contained in increased concentration for example in tomatoes or rose hips.

Tomato ingredient reduces the risk of stroke by more than 50 percent
The active ingredient from tomatoes has contributed to a significant reduction in stroke risk, write the Finnish scientists. The men with the highest lycopene concentration in the blood were 59 percent less at risk of ischemic stroke than those with the lowest lycopene concentration. Karppi and colleagues. For stroke as a whole, the risk was reduced by 55 percent in the subjects with the highest lycopene concentration. While the tomato ingredient has a significant impact on stroke risk, alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, tocopherol, and retinol were not associated with the risk of stroke, according to Finnish researchers. The study of other antioxidants had shown no correlation with the occurrence of strokes.

According to the Finnish researchers, their study "once again confirmed the positive effects of high-fruit and high-vegetable diets". The „prospective study shows that high serum concentrations of lycopene, as a marker for the uptake of tomato and tomato-based products, reduce the risk of stroke and ischemic stroke in males“, so the conclusion of the scientists. By a tomato-rich diet, therefore, the risk of stroke could be significantly counteracted. Anyone who eats tomato salad, tomato soup or tomato casserole every day can significantly reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease. (Fp)

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Picture: Rainer Sturm