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Friday 25 July 2014

Cooked Tomatoes Help Fight Bad Cholesterol (Just as Good as Statins)

Generally speaking, the less cooked a vegetable (or in this case, a berry), the better.
Raw is almost always preferable to cooked for retaining nutritional value.
When it comes to the tomato, however, the cholesterol-fighting antioxidant lycopene, is more readily absorbed by the body after the heating process.
Statins are a class of drug (e.g., Lipitor) that is prescribed to manage LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol. They work by blocking the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase—which is produced by the liver—thereby preventing the natural creation of this type of cholesterol. LDL has been labelled “bad” because it is known to contribute to heart disease.
The thing about this is: why would the body normally create something that will kill us, necessitating the creation of a manufactured chemical to prevent it? It’s all about balance.
A healthful lifestyle that includes eating organic fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats and strictly limited (or no) processed foods combined with regular exercise and positive social interaction keeps everything working right—without pharmaceuticals.

Works Just As Well as Pharmaceutical Drugs

That being said, a new study shows that lycopene in tomatoes works as well (and since it is sourced from a whole food, better!) than statins in regulating LDL, resulting in lower risk of stroke.[1]
Other studies show lycopene reduces the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease,[2] inflammation, eye disease, and male infertility as well—clear arteries allow proper blood flow to all parts of the body.[3]
Lycopene is a carotenoid—the pigment that makes a food yellow, red, or orange—and can be found in other fruits and vegetables like watermelon, papaya, guava, and pink grapefruit.
The body doesn’t convert lycopene to vitamin A as it does with other carotenoids like beta-caroteine. While lycopene is recommended for everyone—and especially for people at risk for stroke and heart disease—a supplement isn’t the best source, says researcher and Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health Dr. Edward Giovannucci:
“Supplements may give you a purified form of lycopene, but you’re not sure you’re getting what you get from food. You may be getting the wrong form of lycopene in a supplement. There are also a lot of compounds in food that aren’t lycopene but that are similar, and some of those molecules may be part of what makes lycopene so beneficial.”
In addition to its effects on cholesterol, lycopene has qualities that protect your skin from ultraviolet rays from the sun.

Read More: http://dailyhealthpost.com/

Graham

8 comments:

FredT said...

A healthful lifestyle that includes eating organic fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats and strictly limited (or no) processed foods

Did you really intend to include whole grains?

Anonymous said...

If only it was true. Tell that to the people who eat cooked tomatoes and still cannot control their cholesterol.
Is it April 1st?

Lowcarb team member said...

To anon

Tomatoes, side effects nil, statin side effects too many to list.

Next question

Eddie

Anonymous said...

You sound like a politician, avoiding the obvious.
If there are no side effects to tomatoes and they don't work then what is the point?

Lowcarb team member said...

Statins don't work for most people, but they harm and cripple countless people. By and large the cholesterol hypothesis is the biggest con ever.

How much longer do people live on statins ? at best a few months !

Anyway what's wrong with a big heart attack and goodnight Vienna. Not that stains stop heart attacks. Just as many people have heart attacks with so called good cholesterol as so called bad.

Have a nice weekend

Eddie

Anonymous said...

@Fred I don't include grains in what I eat although many people still do, personal choice. I do include as much whole fresh foods, not processed as I can. Being a Type 2 diabetic this keeps my sugar levels good.

Jimmy

Lowcarb team member said...

FredT said.

Did you really intend to include whole grains?

That was down to the author of the article Fred, whole grains are off the menu for us and many other enlightened T2 diabetics, the effects on blood sugar guarantee that.

Cheers
Graham

Lowcarb team member said...

Anonymous said...

You sound like a politician, avoiding the obvious.
If there are no side effects to tomatoes and they don't work then what is the point?


Don't work! check out the study cited in the article

Graham