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Tomato compound tied to lower stroke risk

Cherry tomatoes

Despite the positive finding, experts say the study lacks information on the men's overall diet habits (Source: Jonathan Ruchti/stock.xchng)

Healthy eating Men who love eating tomatoes may have lower odds of suffering a stroke, according to a Finnish study.

Researchers whose results appear in the journal Neurology found that of the more than 1000 older men they followed, those with relatively high blood levels of the antioxidant lycopene were less likely to have a stroke over a dozen years.


Lycopene is a "potent antioxidant," says lead researcher Jouni Karppi, a researcher at the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio, which means it helps protect body cells from damage that can ultimately lead to disease.

Laboratory research also suggests that lycopene helps fight inflammation and blood clots, and may be better at it than other antioxidants.

But other researchers say the study does not prove that tomatoes alone can cut anyone's stroke risk, noting that there may be other things about men with high lycopene levels that could explain the lower chances of having a stroke.

The study looked at 1031 men aged 46 to 55 who had their blood levels of lycopene, alpha- and beta-carotene, and vitamins E and A measured.

Over the next 12 years, there were 11 strokes among the one-quarter of men with the highest lycopene levels, compared to 25 among the one-quarter with the lowest levels.

The researchers also accounted for some major factors that affect stroke risk, like smoking, high blood pressure and diabetes - and the high-lycopene group still had a 55 per cent lower risk of suffering a stroke.

A whole of diet approach

"Studies like this are interesting, but they have significant limitations," says Professor Larry Goldstein of Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina.

The current study lacks information on the men's overall diet habits, for example, that might explain why lycopene was linked to the lower risk. But Karppi says the findings support the current advice to get plenty of fruits and vegetables.


He says it's best to follow a diet that reduces salt intake, includes fibre-rich grains, nuts and legumes, and low-fat dairy, as well as four to five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

"If you want to eat tomatoes as part of that, that's fine," adds Goldstein.

Tags: diet-and-nutrition, stroke