Tomatoes are rich in cell-protecting antioxidants. Antioxidants are known cancer-fighters, such as prostate and breast cancer. And now lycopene - one of the antioxidants found in tomatoes - is being linked to reduce risk of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a degenerative bone disease, usually developing in old age, especially in post-menopausal women.
But the new study says drinking tomato juice may help stave off osteoporosis.
Published in the journal Osteoporosis International, scientists claim consuming 30mg of lycopene from tomato juice (about two glasses) is enough to help prevent osteoporosis.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2002, 75 million people in the United States, Europe, and Japan, including one in three post-menopausal women, were affected by osteoporosis; most notably, bone fractures.
For the research, experts restricted a group of post-menopausal women, ages 50 to 60, from consuming anything containing lycopene for one month, then the study participants were split into four groups for four months.
Groups were given either a 15mg lycopene supplement, a glass of tomato juice naturally containing 15mg of lycopene, a gourmet tomato juice with 35mg of lycopene, or a placebo.
After four months, results showed supplementing with lycopene raised serum lycopene, compared to the placebo group. The women consuming lycopene had significantly increased antioxidant capacity, decreased oxidative stress, and decreased bone markers for osteoporosis.
Antioxidants are found in all plant foods, especially colorful fruits and vegetables, like citrus fruits. The WHO links low fruit and vegetable intake as one of the top ten risk factors for global mortality, such as death due to cancer and stroke.
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