Tomatoes have been used for a long time in Eastern medicine to cleanse the liver and are said to have "cooling" properties. An increased intake of tomatoes is thought to be a tonic for the stomach and digestion, and they are said to alkalize the blood and help treat rheumatism and gout.
research in the US has looked intothe relationship between prostate cancer and he consumption of various fruits and vegetables. Out of 46 types of fruit and vegetable studied, tomatoes and their derivatives, such as tomato sauce, were significntly associated with a reduction in risk of prostate cancer. Men who ate 10 servings of these foods each week ahd a significantly lower rate of prostate cancer than those who ate one-and-one-half servings. It was the powerful antioxidant called lycopene in the tomatoes that was believed to offer this protective effect. Lycopene is one of the most efficient carotenoids when it comes to "mopping up" cancer-causing free radicals in the body.
Research in Italy has revealed that when people ate 7 or more servings of tomatoes a week, a 60% lower risk of cancers of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, colon, and rectum was observed. Tomatoes contain the substances p-coumaric acid and chlorogenic acid, which are thought to prevent the formaton of potentially cancer-causing substances called nitrosamines.
Research carried out in Europe has discovered that men who had the highest levels of lycopene in their fat stores were hald as likely to have a heart attack as men with low lycopene reserves. The lycopene in tomatoes appears to protect against heart disease by deactivating free radicals that damage low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Damaged LDL appears to block blood flow, which can eventually lead to heart attacks.
One 3-ounce tomato supplies 36% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of vitamin C. Canned tomatoes contain slightly less vitamin C than fresh ones. Cooking does not destroy lycopene.