Rich in lycopenes, a potent type of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound, tomatoes have been shown by a number of previous studies to improve antioxidant defenses and reduce the risk of inflammatory diseases. Mahsa Ghavipour, from Tehran University (Iran), and colleagues recruited a group of overweight and obese women, average age 23 years, for a study in which each subject either consumed a glass (330 mL) of tomato juice a day, or water (control beverage), for 20 days. Among the women who drank tomato juice, interleukin-8 (IL-8) was reduced by 11.77 pg/mL, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) was reduced by 5.44 pg/mL, as compared to 6.22 and 0.07 pg/mL, respectively, among the control group. Writing that: “Tomato juice reduces inflammation in overweight and obese females,” the study authors submit that: “increasing tomato intake may provide a useful approach for reducing the risk of inflammatory diseases such as [cardiovascular disease] and diabetes, which are associated with obesity.”
