Tomatoes Contain a Nutrient that Prevents Vascular Diseases

They focused on the activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR ) and attempted to detect compounds that activate PPAR in tomatoes. To do so, the researchers screened fractions of tomato extracts using PPAR luciferase reporter assay, and found one fraction, rechromatographed-fraction eluted in 57 min (RF57), that significantly increased PPAR reporter activity.

They found that RF57 fraction significantly increased the mRNA expression levels of PPAR target genes involved in fatty acid oxidation and O2 consumption in mouse primary hepatocytes, and inhibited cellular triglyceride accumulation. Based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses, the researchers then determined the chemical structure of the active compound in RF57 as 9-oxo-ODA. The study was published early online on January 7, 2011, in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research.

"Finding a compound which helps the prevention of obesity-related chronic diseases in foodstuffs is a great advantage to tackling these diseases," said lead author Teruo Kawada, PhD, of the laboratory of molecular function of food, and colleagues. "It means that the tomato allows people to easily manage the onset of dyslipidemia through their daily diet."

Tomatoes contain large amounts of vitamin C, providing 40% of the daily value (DV). They also contain 15% DV of vitamin A, 8% DV of potassium, and 7% of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of iron for women and 10% RDA for men. The red pigment contained in tomatoes is called lycopene, which acts as an antioxidant, neutralizing free radicals. A study by Harvard researchers found that men who consumed 10 servings of tomatoes a week could cut the risk of developing prostate cancer by 45%, while 7 servings of raw tomatoes lower the risk of developing rectal colon or stomach cancers by 60%.

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