2. Tomatoes may help to reduce risk of breast cancer
According to a study, a tomato-rich diet could help in protecting postmenopausal women at risk from breast cancer. Breast cancer risk increases in postmenopausal women as their body mass index increases.
The study discovered consuming a diet high in tomatoes positively impacted the hormone levels that play a part in the regulation of sugar and fat metabolism.1✅ JOURNAL REFERENCE
DOI: 10.1210/jc.2013-3222
The benefits of consuming an abundance of tomatoes and tomato-based products, even for a short period, were evident in the study’s conclusions. The study looked at how diets rich in tomatoes as well as diets rich in soy affected a group of 70 women who were postmenopausal.
The women consumed tomato products that contained a minimum of 25 milligrams of lycopene every day for 10 weeks. They consumed a minimum of 40 grams of soy protein every day for a separate 10-week period. Before starting each test period, the participants were told to avoid consuming tomato as well as soy products for 2 weeks.
Their levels of adiponectin, a hormone involved in the regulation of blood fat and sugar levels, increased by 9% when they adhered to the diet rich in tomatoes. The effect was slightly stronger in women who had a lower BMI.
The consumption of a tomato-rich diet had a greater effect on hormone levels in those women who kept a healthy weight.
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