Go to Health: Tomatoes All Year!


You might not expect that the latest on the benefits of tomatoes would come from the Lapland Central Hospital in Finland. Despite their short growing season, Finns are said to love tomatoes when they can get them. Finnish researchers studied what blood factors (from diet) were associated with a lowered risk of stroke in men, expecting to find correlations with levels of vitamins E and A. Instead, they found that men in the highest quartile of serum lycopene had a 55- 59% lower risk of stroke than those in the lowest quartile. Alpha and beta carotene, vitamin E and A were not associated with stroke risk.






Researchers at the College of Nursing, University of Kentucky, found that patients with heart failure who had the highest intake of tomatoes in their diet had longer times between adverse cardiac events.






Studies from Chungbuk National University in Korea found that tomato extract added to the diets of mice caused weight loss, despite a high-fat diet. Total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol were also reduced.






Studies from the University of Talca in Argentina found that rats supplemented with tomato extract had a reduction of platelet clumping, which would reduce blood clotting and improve blood flow.






Recent Canadian studies have looked at post menopausal women between 50 and 60 who were given lycopene-rich tomato juice, lycopene supplements or a placebo for 4 months. They were tested for blood markers of osteoporosis. Those taking tomato juice or lycopene were found to have reduced levels of bone breakdown compared to those given placebo. Subsequently, these researchers studied women who were told to restrict their intake of tomatoes or lycopene; in this study bone markers for osteoporosis were significantly increased.






U.S. studies from the 1990’s looking at male health professionals showed that frequent intake of tomato products was associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer. Because further studies could not confirm this finding, Harvard researchers did a careful re-analysis in 2002 and again found a moderately reduced risk.






Tomatoes, which originated in South America and were first cultivated in Mexico, are clearly loved all around the world. Enjoy them! Do not start taking a lycopene supplement after reading this column. Excess intake of single carotenes may be counterproductive. There are many factors in tomatoes besides lycopene that can be healthy. Do start eating more tomato products while waiting for the ripe ones to come back into season. Tomato paste and low sodium organic Very Veggie are great choices – you can find them in our local stores in glass containers – free of BPA (Bisphenol A) and other chemicals. You can preserve homemade tomato sauce when they are in season; people lacking the time or expertise for home canning can simply freeze them. Here’s a great website from the University of Nebraska on easy ways to preserve tomatoes - http://food.unl.edu/web/preservation/freezing-tomatoes.






The beneficial compounds in tomatoes are best absorbed when eaten with fat, so include a healthy oil, such as olive oil, in your cooking or on your salad. Be careful of the high sodium content in many commercial tomato soups and sauces. You probably know that watermelon is also a good source of lycopene.






Next month I’m going to write about the amazing abilities of silkworm cocoons to keep vaccines and antibiotics cool, even in areas of extreme summer heat. This could be a great boon to immunization programs in Africa and Southeast Asia. Stay tuned!


Sadja Greenwood MD back issues sadjascolumns.blogspot.com

Lists for Longevity

Back to school, Labor day: is it time to make lists and get organized? Here are ten suggestions from the August issue of Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter. Next week I’ll report on Dr Oz’s 10 simple habits that could help you live to 100.
1. Combining moderate regular exercise and mentally stimulating activities can help protect your memory as you age, according to a Mayo Clinic study.
2. Raisins, a handful eaten 3 times a day, can reduce blood pressure significantly in mildly hypertensive people according to study from the Louisville Metabolic and Atherosclerosis Research Center. This may be because raisins are high in potassium, and also in fiber and healthful anti-oxidants. There are opposing views on whether raisins promote or prevent tooth decay, so keep flossing.
3. Your waist to hip ratio can predict you risk of sudden cardiac death. Best measurements are under 0.82 for women and 0.92 for men. Use a tape measure.
4. Regular jogging, at a slow to average pace, increases longevity, according to the Copenhagen City Heart Study. (Be sure to check with your doctor before starting to jog, if you don’t do so currently).
5. Fiber may help to protect against heart disease and stroke, according to a Swedish study.
6.Switching from white rice to brown rice could reduce your risk of diabetes, according to a Harvard study. This is especially important for Asians if they eat a lot of white rice.
7. Skip sugar sweetened beverages to reduce your risk of heart attack, according to the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals study. No increased risk was found for diet sodas.
8. Eating a Mediterranean diet, already linked to a lower risk of chronic diseases, leads to a better health-related quality of life, according to Spanish research. This diet is high in vegetables, fruit, fish or poultry, whole grains, nuts and olive oil, with small amounts of low fat milk as yogurt. There is new evidence that olive oil may strengthen bones. The diet avoids red meat and dairy fat. Get a book on this way of eating – The New Mediterranean Diet Cookbook by Nancy Harmon Jenkins and Marion Nestle is a winner.
9. Low-fat dairy may lead to fewer strokes, according to a Swedish Study.
10. Any physical activity: formal exercise, gardening, housework and walking may lower the risk of Alzheimers’s disease, according to a study of older adults at Rush University.

These studies in the Tufts newsletter are a good reminder of what you already know about healthy living.

Here are my additional suggestions for people who watch television, home movies and sit at a desk for work. Invest in a minicycle or pedal exerciser. These small devices use no electricity and can fit under your desk or in a corner for storage. They keep your legs moving with mild but continuous exercise while you sit. On a table, they are also used to exercise the arms and shoulders. The Sunny health and fitness minicycle is about $57 and is available from Amazon and Overstock. You can also look at the Carex Pedal exerciser (lighter and about $45) and the Pedlar Pro #316 (about $34). Alternatively, consider a standing desk. Prolonged sitting (at work, in the car, watching TV) is not good for the metabolism. Several recent studies show that prolonged sitting increases mortality. You may be able to raise your desk on a sturdy brick pile until the desk-top is at elbow height, but if it is not stable, make or buy a standing desk. It takes a few tries to get used to a standing desk, but it is worth the effort in terms of leg strength and endurance. Finally, you can invest in a trek desk, which enables you to walk slowly on a treadmill while working on the computer, reading or thinking. There are manual treadmills that do not require electricity.

There’s a famous t-shirt that says “If it’s physical, it’s therapy.”

Sadja Greenwood MD, MPH back issues on this blog
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