A new study shows that lycopene found in tomatoes may help to prevent hardening of the arteries or atherosclerosis. Find out why you need to add more tomato sauce to your diet.
The next time you eat a plate of spaghetti, be sure to ask for a little more tomato sauce. According to a new study, lycopene of atherosclerosis and heart disease, of atherosclerosis, lycopene for, lycopene supplements, lycopene, the pigment that gives tomatoes and watermelon its bright red color, may reduce the risk of atherosclerosis and heart disease, the most common cause of death in this country. Could a plate of spaghetti help to protect your arteries?
Korean researchers measured blood levels of lycopene in a group of women between the ages of thirty-one and seventy-five. They then measured arterial stiffness using a special technique called brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity. They discovered that the women with the highest lycopene levels in their blood had the least stiffness in their arteries and women with the lowest lycopene levels had the most.
Arterial stiffness is a known harbinger of atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, which can lead to heart attack and stroke. In addition to less arterial stiffness, women with the highest lycopene levels had lower levels of oxidized LDL cholesterol and c-reactive protein, another marker for heart disease risk.
