Anti-atherosclerotic effects of tomatoes

Abstract

Background: Tomatoes are rich in lycopene which is responsible for the red color seen in tomatoes. Several reports have suggested the role of lycopene in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Here, we systematically reviewed the interventional studies using tomatoes or tomato products, to understand anti-atherosclerotic effects of tomato as a functional food. We found that relatively great number of interventional studies reported anti-atherosclerotic effects of tomatoes such as anti-obesity effect, hypotensive effect, improvement of lipid/glucose metabolism and endothelial function, anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effect, and also anti-platelet effect, though, which were denied by some studies. Furthermore, we discovered that the cooking methods significantly affect anti-atherosclerotic effects of tomatoes.

Keywords: anti-oxidative effect, atherosclerosis, body weight, tomatoes, serum lipids