Eating tomatoes and tomato products reduces the risk of stroke, according to a study in the October issue of Neurology. And all this is due to the high content of lycopene – a wonderful antioxidant.
Research – conducted by specialists from the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio – showed that people with the highest blood levels of lycopene were 55 percent. less likely to suffer a stroke than people with the lowest levels of lycopene in the blood.
1031 Finnish men aged 46 to 65 participated in the experiment. The level of lycopene in the blood was determined in each of them, and then, for the next 12 years, their health status was monitored. At that time, 67 men had a stroke.
It turned out that 25 of them belonged to the group of 258 people with the lowest concentration of lycopene. In contrast, among the participants with the highest blood levels of this compound (259 people), 11 men had a stroke.
When the researchers only considered ischemic strokes caused by clots in the arteries that supply the brain, the results were even clearer. Patients with the highest levels of lycopene were exposed to this type of stroke by as much as 59 percent. less than people with low blood levels of lycopene.
Our study is further evidence that a diet rich in vegetables and fruits lowers the risk of stroke, says Dr. Jouni Karppi, who leads the work of the Finnish team. – The results obtained support the recommendation to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Adherence to these recommendations is likely to result in a significant reduction in the number of strokes in the world population.
In this study, the researchers also looked at the effect of the concentration of other antioxidants on the risk of stroke: alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, alpha-tocopherol and retinol. However, they found no correlation between blood levels and the incidence of stroke (PAP).
kap / agt /