Another Health Benefit Of Eating Tomatoes

Tomatoes have become the perfect ingredient for your food. You can put them in any dish and they will bring out the best of it. For all tomato lovers out there, we give you another reason to stock up your fridge with these red jewels. As per a recent study published in the journal Scientific Reports, regular consumption of tomatoes may help reduce the risk of skin cancer. Researchers presented the results of a study conducted on mice which showed that nutrition plays an important part in cutting down the risk of cancers.

The results showed that a group of mice, which was fed a diet inclusive of tomatoes consequently for 35 weeks, when exposed to Ultra-Violet light had a reduction in their risk of getting skin cancer by a massive 50%, in contrast to the mice which had no tomato portion in their diet.

"The theory behind the relationship between tomatoes and cancer is that dietary carotenoids, the pigmenting compounds that give tomatoes their colour, may protect skin against Ultraviolet (UV) light damage," said co-author of the study Jessica Cooperstone from Ohio State University in Columbus, US.

She further stated that "previous human clinical trials suggest that eating tomato paste over time can dampen sunburns, perhaps thanks to carotenoids from the plants that are deposited in the skin of humans after eating, and may be able to protect against UV light damage".

Its regular consumption has been heavily linked with health benefits and that list just got extended with another point. "Tomatoes are rich in lycopene and anthocyanins. These help to protect against vision loss, heart diseases, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer (especially prostate)," as mentioned in Dorling Kindersley's Healing Foods.

Also read: Does Smoking Really Lead To Skin Cancer?

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