New Research # 13 – Tomatoes and                          blood pressure.

Tomatoes  and blood pressure is our topic of today’s article. All-Mighty Allah have created many many item which are beneficial for human health. Different vegetables like tomatoes are one of them. We include tomatoes in our salad, Tomatoes  make our salad tasty. Beside that eating tomatoes ( many people might not know) lower our high blood pressure. A new study found a link between eating more tomatoes and  lowering high blood pressure, especially in older adults.

Contents.

• Tomatoes.
• Tomato’s health benefits.
• Raw or cooked tomatoes.
• Eating tomatoes and some medications.
• How tomato affects.

Tomatoes.

Tomato  is a vegetable found all over the world. It has pleasing , shiny red colour. When you  cut it , you will find its seeds A ripe, red colour tomato 100grams has the following nutrition , as per USDA.

• Calories ;                18
• Fat:                        < 1 gram
• Cholesterol .          0 gram
• Sodium.                   5 mg
• Carbohydrates.      3.89 grams
• Fiber.                         1.2 0  gram
• Protein.                   < 1 gram

Beside the above nutrition, it provide vitamin C and potassium. Tomatoes are a rich source of antioxidants. Lycopene is one of them which gives a shiny red colour to tomatoes.

Tomato’s health benefits.

Raw tomatoes are rich in vitamin C, which brightens skin and fights inflammation .While cooking tomatoes releases more antioxidants such as lycopene, which may protect against cancer. Tomatoes offer various benefits and contribute to heart, cognitive (brain), and prostate health. 

The health benefits of tomatoes in  brief  are as under;

• Tomatoes are loaded with a substance known as Lycopene. It gives a shiny red colour to tomatoes. It also protect tomatoes  from ultraviolet rays of sun .  Beside that tomatoes  have potassium, vitamin B and E.
• The main antioxidant found in tomatoes is  lycopene.  Lycopene fight against molecules known as ” free radicals ” . These free radicals are responsible to damage our cells and effect our immune system. In the result the risk of having lung, prostate and stomach cancer is there.
• Another benefit of tomatoes . Substance called “Lutein and Zeaxanthin ” found in tomatoes protect our eyes from the blue rays made by computers and smart  phones. They also help  our  eyes feeling tired and reflex headache from eyestrain,. Some researchers believe that these substances may protect from blindness.
• Lycopene may help to reduce our LDL cholesterol ( bad cholesterol) and high blood pressure. Vitamin B and E and antioxidants known as Flavonoids may increase our heart health.
• Another benefit of eating tomatoes .  a special item called “” Lutein and Zeaxanthin ”  ( Lutein and zeaxanthin can filter blue light to prevent the formation of reactive oxygen species, especially singlet oxygen, in the retina and can further reduce oxidation by directly quenching singlet oxygen and related free radicals in the retina ) is found which protect our eyes from blue light from smartphones and computers.
• Some researchers found that tomatoes are helpful  to provide relief in asthma. It also will help to prevent “Emphysema ”  (Emphysema is one of the diseases that comprises COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Emphysema develops over time and involves the gradual damage of lung tissue, specifically the destruction of the alveoli (tiny air sacs). Tobacco smoking is a leading cause of emphysema.
• Researchers agreed that eating more tomatoes in your diet will help to prevent a  stroke. Studies show that  tomatoes may ease inflammation, lower our cholesterol , boost our immune system and prevent from blood clotting.
• Studies show that lycopene found in tomatoes can help to prevent gum disease  Gingivitis  (Gingivitis is a common and mild form of gum disease, also called periodontal disease. It causes irritation, redness, swelling and bleeding of our gingiva, which is the part of our gum around the base of our teeth. It’s important to take gingivitis seriously and treat it promptly ). Eating more tomatoes can prevent cancer.  Keep in mind that EATING  LOT OF RAW TOMATOES MAY DAMAGE THE ENAMEL OF OUR TEETH.  Brushing the teeth immediate after eating raw tomatoes will damage the enamel of our teeth. Doctors suggest to wait at least 1/2  hour before you brush.
• During the summer season , we wear hat to protect ourselves from sun.  Tomatoes provide the same shield by working on our body cells. from the inside.
• Any body can ask a question, Do raw and canned tomatoes have the same  health effects ? Well, canned tomatoes have the same health effects , But it is quite possible that canned tomatoes may have lost vitamin C and other nutrients.

Raw or cooked tomatoes.

When we eat any food, we like to get more health benefits from it. You will ask that  how we should eat tomatoes, raw or cooked to have maximum health benefits ?, Dr. Rosa Maria Lamuela-Raveventos Ph. D director of the research Institute of Nutrition and food safety at the university of Barcelona suggest that cooked tomatoes provide the greatest health benefits ;She explained it in her words: ”  Since bioavailability of carotenoids (In part, the beneficial effects of carotenoids are thought to be due to their role as antioxidants. beta-Carotene may have added benefits due to  its ability to be converted to vitamin A. Furthermore, lutein and zeaxanthin may be protective in eye disease because they absorb damaging blue light that enters the eye ) and other antioxidants such as polyphenols (In addition to their antioxidant activity, polyphenols have many other health benefits. Some studies strongly suggest that diets rich in polyphenols may offer protection against development of certain cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases) is increased when tomato is cooked.

Eating tomatoes and some medications.

Medical Doctors usually prescribe ACE inhibitors ( Angiotensin-converting enzyme )to  high blood pressure patients.  ACE inhibitors are medicines that help relax the veins and arteries to lower blood pressure. ACE inhibitors prevent an enzyme in the body from making angiotensin 2, a substance that narrows blood vessels to the people with hypertension . Such medication can increase potassium  levels in the body. The increased potassium levels in the body can unfavorably effect the patients having renal disfunction. Eating more tomatoes,  which are  so rich in potassium, for the people taking ACE inhibitors , might result in high potassium levels in their body .It is strongly advised to check the side effects of ACE inhibitors before taking them,. If you see that such medications have a bad effect on your kidney, ask your doctor  to prescribed some  medicines to neutralize the side effects  of the medicines.

Back to the subject, some diets have more sodium and less potassium. Sodium has an effect on fluid retention. You will urinate less if there is excess sodium in your diets. Retention of urine in the kidney have bad effects . Urine must pass away in  natural process. Presence of more sodium in the body will cause high blood pressure. You must have noticed that medical doctor prescribe a medicine to take. This medicine make it easy to urinate several time in a day. It help get rid of excess sodium and provide relief in high blood pressure.

On the other hand, potassium regulate  fluid balance.  This fluid balance is necessary for keeping healthy blood pressure levels . This will minimize the risk of heart disease.

On the other hand, the high levels of potassium  in the blood will lead to irregular heart beats. muscle weakness and several heart issues.. If one have excess potassium levels in the body, he/she should consult a doctor immediately. For more information about having high potassium level in the body, its effects , read our article “ Muscle Cramps – Part-2  “. 

How tomatoes affects?

You or any one can ask  ” How tomatoes affects blood pressure ?. Well, as mentioned  above, tomatoes have two initial ingredients , Lycopene and Potassium. Dr. Rosa Maria Lamuela-Raventos , Ph. D , director of the Research Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety at the University of Barcelona , presented an idea that ” Cardioprotective mechanism involve in the reduction of blood pressure , may in part , be attributed to the presence of Lycopene in tomatoes”.

Dr. Rosa Maria also explained that ” The Lycopene , the most plentiful carotenoid (Carotenoids are tetraterpene pigments, which exhibit yellow, orange, red and purple colors. Carotenoids are the most widely distributed pigments in nature and are present in photosynthetic bacteria, some species of archaea and fungi, algae, plants, and animals) in tomatoes, does not only reduce the angiotensin -converting enzyme ( Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) is well known for its dual actions in converting inactive Ang I to active Ang II and degrade active bradykinin (BK), which play an important role in the control of blood pressure.) and its gene expression, preventing the synthesis of angiotensin 2. It also promotes the generation of nitric oxide in the endothelium ( cells that line the blood vessels) helping lower blood pressure and improving blood flow “. Dr. Rosa Maria’s explanation is quite difficult o understand  for a common people. However, doctors can follow it very well.

source :  medicalnewstoday.com

Last words:

A person must have some knowledge about his/her health. My above article is an efforts to let the people know how we can improve our health by eating some easily available vegetable and fruits.

I always pray for every one’s success and good health.