Professor Xiang-Dong Wang explained, “Consuming whole foods like tomatoes and processed tomatoes from sauces, tomato paste, canned whole tomato products, ketchup, and juice provides the best source of lycopene.”
The researchers also found that tomato powder is more effective than the same dose of the tomato antioxidant in supplement form for preventing cancer development. They suggest this is because the whole tomato contains other valuable nutrients that are omitted by only taking the one antioxidant.
Feeding mice tomato powder increased the richness and diversity of beneficial microbiota and prevented overgrowth of bacteria, which is related to inflammation.
The mice were infected with cancer carcinogens and fed either a high-fat diet similar to the Western diet or a diet containing powdered tomato either with or without the antioxidant.
Other foods that contain the powerful antioxidant found in tomatoes include guava, watermelon, grapefruit, papaya, and sweet red peppers.
Eating tomatoes and other foods high in antioxidants have been linked with lower risks of heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, and other types of cancers. It is generally advised to consume a balanced diet that contains fruits and vegetables of various bright colors, as it is the components that give fruits and vegetables their color that often contain high levels of antioxidants and vitamins.
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