A recent study found that eating the equivalent of one large tomato per day was associated with a significant reduction in heart risk for adults age 55 and older.
Tomatoes are among the top foods recommended by the American Heart Association (AHA) to help manage high blood pressure, especially because they are rich in potassium, which helps lower high blood pressure. is known.
Now, a new scientific paper lends further support to the power of tomatoes for heart health.
In the study, which included more than 7,000 adults aged 55 to 80, researchers in Spain found that eating the equivalent of one large tomato (about 4 ounces) per day reduced the risk of high blood pressure by 36 percent. can be done
“Tomatoes are one of the most widely consumed, widely available and affordable vegetables worldwide, and are an important component of a well-balanced diet such as the Mediterranean diet,” said Rosa Maria, MD, director of the institute. Lamiola-Rivantes wrote. Research on Nutrition and Food Safety and an Associate Professor at the University of Barcelona. “Tomato consumption may play a beneficial clinical role in the prevention and management of high blood pressure.”
The study, published this November in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, followed participants over three years. About 6 out of 10 were women.
Just over 82 percent of people already had high blood pressure at the start of the study, but all participants had factors that put them at higher risk for heart disease, such as diabetes, smoking, high cholesterol, obesity, early A family history of heart disease. , or some combination of these factors.
Lower heart disease risk is associated with higher tomato consumption.
Researchers divided people with high blood pressure into three categories:
Grade 1 hypertension, systolic 140 to 159 mmHg and diastolic 90 to 99 mmHg
Grade 2 hypertension, systolic 160 to 179 mmHg and diastolic 100 to 109 mmHg
Grade 3 hypertension, systolic 180 mmHg or more and diastolic 110 mmHg or more
According to the AHA, normal blood pressure is less than 120 systolic and less than 80 diastolic.
During the study, participants also completed questionnaires about their diet and physical activity. The food questionnaire measured daily tomato consumption in raw tomatoes, tomato sauce, and gazpacho, a chilled Spanish tomato soup mixed with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and other vegetables.
Individuals were classified into four groups of daily tomato consumption, with the lowest group consuming 1.5 ounces or less of tomatoes and the highest group consuming approximately 4 ounces or more.
Overall, Dr. Lamuela-Raventós and her colleagues observed an association between eating more tomatoes and lowering blood pressure.
In addition to a 36 percent lower overall hypertension risk in the highest consumption group compared to the lowest consumption, the scientists also found diastolic measurements (below 0.65 mmHg) between those who ate moderate amounts of tomatoes and those who consumed the lowest. ) calculated a significant decrease in The group
They also highlighted that the reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure was only significant in the participants with grade 1 hypertension and not in the high blood pressure level groups.
“The absence of an inverse association between tomato consumption and blood pressure in grade 2 and 3 hypertension may be attributed to the elderly nature of the study population, most of whom had primarily chronic hypertension. Blood pressure, as well as high cardiovascular risk factors, made it difficult to achieve significant change,” the authors wrote.
Tomatoes are part of a healthy diet.
While several previous studies have also suggested that tomatoes offer benefits for blood pressure, the study authors also acknowledged that some of the earlier findings regarding the actual effects of tomatoes on heart health are mixed.
Still, they speculate that tomatoes may help improve blood pressure because they contain certain minerals and compounds like lycopene that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
Sean Heffron, MD, a preventive cardiologist and director of fitness-focused cardiology at the Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease at NYU Langone Heart in New York City, noted that the study was limited in that most of the data was self-reported. And the results are based on observational analysis, rather than being established by a randomized clinical trial in which tumor use and blood pressure were specifically and uniformly followed closely by patients. The group will be measured.
“That said, we already have data from randomized clinical trials that support that whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables have Diets can help lower blood pressure.” Such diets are also in accordance with the guidelines of the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.
He cautions against focusing on tomatoes as a “magical food that’s going to cure all your ailments,” instead recommending that they be considered part of a varied heart-healthy diet.