6 Major Health Benefits Of Tomatoes

Botanically speaking, tomato is a delicious fruit that belongs to the nightshade family of the Solanaceae family but is mostly consumed as vegetable and salad. Its use as a food originated in Mexico and then spread throughout the world.

Tomatoes provide numerous health and beauty benefits due to the abundance of essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytonutrients, and polyphenols, etc.

# Provides Antioxidantal Benefits

Antioxidants like lycopene, vitamin C, vitamin A, and vitamin E and other antioxidantal compounds like phytonutrients and polyphenols, etc in the tomatoes protects our cells and tissues from free radical damage, and thus minimizes the risk of several cancers like colon cancer, abdominal cancer, breast cancer, stomach cancer, esophageal cancer, and pancreatic cancer, etc.Free radicals are the unstabilized ions that stabilize by stealing electrons from the neighboring molecules and doing so, cause oxidative damage to them.Antioxidants in tomatoes provide several other benefits like improved cardiovascular health, stronger immunity, improved neurological health, and so on.

# Excellent Source Of Vitamins And Minerals

Tomato is an excellent source of several essential nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, phytonutrients, polyphenols, iron, potassium, magnesium, etc, and the presence of these compounds provides several benefits to us. Because of these essential nutrients, tomatoes help in regulating blood pressure, lowers blood sugar levels, aids in treating anemia, minimizes the risk of neurological problems, etc.Later in this article, we will learn about these benefits in detail.

# Maintains Cholesterol Level

The dietary fibers in tomatoes reduce the level of bad LDL cholesterol and thus helps in managing our cholesterol level.It prevents the accumulation of plaque and fat deposits within the arterial walls, and thus reduces the risk of atherosclerosis.Atherosclerosis is a condition that leads to hardening and narrowing of the arteries due to the accumulation of plaque and fat deposits in the arterial walls and is a leading cause of several cardiovascular problems like heart attack, heart stroke, and coronary artery disease.

# Reduces The Damage Caused By Cigarette Smoking

Tomatoes are beneficial against the damaged caused by cigarette smoking as it contains compounds like “coumaric acid” and “Chlorogenic acid” that fights against the “nitrosamines” produced in the body during smoking.

Nitrosamines are carcinogenic compounds that increase the risk of various cancers like lung cancer, mouth cancer, throat cancer, etc.In addition to this, other antioxidants like vitamin A present in the tomatoes fights with the free radicals of our body stabilizes them, and thus reduces the risk of lung cancer.

# Keep Our Eyes Healthy

Tomatoes are good for the eyes, the visionary organ that allows us to enjoy the beauty of this world. Antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, and other antioxidantal compounds like phytonutrients and polyphenols, etc present in the tomatoes protect our eyes from free radical damage, and thus minimizes the risk of age related macular degeneration, cataract, and glaucoma, etc.

Vitamin A present in the tomatoes is an essential nutrient for the eyes as it improves vision, prevents dryness of the eyes, and minimizes the risk of night-blindness.

# Keeps Our Digestive System Healthy

Tomatoes are good for the stomach and improve our digestive health.The laxative properties of the dietary fibers in tomatoes improve our bowel movement, ensures smooth elimination of stool from the body, and thus provides relief from constipation and other gastrointestinal problems like abdominal pain, irritable bowel syndrome, gas, bloating, indigestion and flatulence, etc.

Vitamin C, vitamin E, and other antioxidantal compounds like phytonutrients and polyphenols protect our digestive system from free radical damage, and thus minimizes the risk of several cancers like colon cancer, stomach cancer, pancreatic cancer, and intestinal cancer, etc.

The abundance of water (around 94 percent) in the tomatoes also contributes to digestive health as it promotes digestion, increases metabolism, and helps in the proper absorption of nutrients.Other nutrients like zinc, iron, potassium, magnesium and B vitamins, etc also contribute to our digestive health.