Tomatoes are the ultimate heart food | Find out why

Tomatoes, a vegetable belonging to the berry of a nightshade Solanum lycopersicum, are good for the heart, experts say. As a heart food, tomatoes even resemble the anatomy of a human heart. Just like the human heart, a tomato also has four chambers and is red in colour. They were indeed indeed made to be a heart food. And the reason behind tomatoes being a heart food mostly has to do with its lycopene content.

Researches have stated that lycopene is one of those antioxidants that are purely for the heart and blood. As such, they are known to improve the heart health and reduce the risks of heart diseases. 

Also Read | #MeToo Movement: How sexual harassment affects women's health

Tomatoes are also a very rich source of anti-oxidants, potassium, vitamin A and C, folic acid and beta-carotene. These are why tomatoes are the ultimate heart food:

1. Heart Health: The nutrition-contents in tomatoes such as fibre, potassium, vitamin C and choline content all help to promoting a healthy heart. Tomatoes also contain folate which balances the homocysteine levels that results from protein breakdown. This management of homocysteine levels by folate reduces the risks of heart disease.
2. Tomatoes oxidises the bad Cholesterol: Tomatoes are known to oxidise the bad cholesterol or LDL. According to studies, the LDL leads to cholesterol accumulation that forms plaques in the arteries of our bodies, in particular the coronary arteries. This can cause heart rupture or cause heart attacks. Studies revealed that consumption of tomatoes both with people suffering from type 2 diabetes or even healthy people showed decrease in levels of LDL. 
3. Tomatoes reduce the risk of blood pressures: Consumption of tomatoes in experiments showed a positive result in just after a few weeks. This result was seen in patients with pre-high blood pressure or hypertension. According to the study, tomato consumption showed a modest lowering effect on both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.  
4. Tomatoes serve as a quick recovery after a heart attack: Another study conducted on patients who suffered a heart attack showed a quicker recovery with received-lycopene. The studies showed that the higher lycopene intake from tomatoes was associated with an improved survival. 
5. Tomatoes can reduce the risk of strokes: A study suggests that high lycopene consumption showed a much lesser chance of getting a heart stroke in comparison to those who had less lycopene-consumption. The study also showed that the stroke risk reduced by 65 per cent with high lycopene consumption.

Also Read | The gene variant behind Type 2 diabetes, low body weight risk