Lycopene in tomatoes reduces stroke risk by more than 50%
London (PRWEB UK) 2 July 2013 -- The growing number of individuals suffering from stroke has been raising concern for UK health researchers as the years go by. According to the Global Stroke Association, there are currently about 13,500 stroke cases per year, and about 128,175 people living with stroke in London. In England as a whole, there are approximately 107,300 strokes per year and more than 1 million living with stroke.
Recent studies seem to be pointing the way to tomatoes and tomato lycopene supplements being the cure for many health problems like stroke, stomach cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis. World Health Food studies have found that among the more than 600 carotenoids in plants, only 14 of them are found in human tissues. Tomatoes and tomato products contribute to 9 of these 14 carotenoids that the body needs and are the predominant source of lycopene, neurosporene, gamma-carotene, phytoene, and phytofluene. Because the lycopene found in tomatoes has potent antioxidant properties, studies have evaluated its potential stroke and anticancer effects, particularly against prostate cancer.
A 12 yearlong study done in Finland and funded by Lapland Central Hospital was concluded last year in October and found that a diet that includes tomatoes could lower the chances of stroke by 55%. Jouni Karppi, the study’s lead author, who is affiliated with the University of Eastern Finland’s Department of Medicine, said that the main goal that the study began with was to look at whether other substances such as retinol, or vitamin A, and alpha-tocopherol, a type of vitamin E, impacted stroke rates. However, they found no association with the levels of vitamin A or E, but instead found that men who had the highest levels of lycopene in their bodies were 55% less likely to have a stroke than men who had lower levels. Overall, there were 67 strokes among the 1,031 men in the study who were divided into four groups by lycopene levels. There were 25 strokes among 258 men who were considered to have the lowest levels of lycopene while there were 11 strokes among men with the highest lycopene levels. The study showed that the men who had the highest levels of lycopene--an antioxidant found in tomatoes--had fewer strokes than men who had the lowest levels of lycopene in their blood. The study was published on October 2012 in the Medical Journal Neurology.
Lycopene can be found at its highest concentrations in cooked tomato products like tomato paste, puree, and sauce, according to the United States Department of Agriculture’s national nutrient database. A cup of ready-to-serve marinara sauce may be packaged and processed, but it contains more than 31,000 micrograms of lycopene while the average raw tomato has about 3,165 micrograms, according to USDA. Fresh and home cooked forms of tomatoes are best, but when all else fails, a slice of fast food pizza on the run has about 2,074 micrograms of lycopene. A tablespoon of catsup also has 2,146 micrograms of lycopene. Amounts of Lycopene can also be found in watermelon, grapefruit, papaya, and mango, but the largest quantities are found in tomatoes.
Fruit and veggies seem to be our only hope. Sadly by 2013, only one 3rd of the UK is consuming enough fruit and vegetables daily, the worst results being in Scotland and Northern Ireland. A study done the by the British Heart Foundation in 2010 found that eating 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day would save 15,000 lives, including 7,000 from heart disease, almost 5,000 from cancer, and almost 3,000 from stroke. Another 4,000 deaths would be prevented by sticking to dietary recommendations on fibre; around 7,000 from watching fat intake and 7,500 by reducing salt.
UK Dietary Guidelines suggest each person to eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day. The Oxford University stated in 2010 that around 33,000 lives could be saved each year if everyone in the UK followed the dietary guidelines.
References:
http://www.stroke.org.uk/news/stroke-facts-and-statistics-your-area
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=44
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444897304578044680394134430.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12002299
Samantha Smith, Chemist Direct, 0121 541 4952, [email protected]
Share this article