Tomato

Can a Tomato keep the doctor away? (DOS)

Tomatoes rank fourth on the list of most-consumed vegetables in the U.S.

The Good & The Bad

Nutritional Heart Health Facts From the Tomato

There are two basic lines of research that have repeatedly linked tomatoes to heart health.

1.The first line of research involves antioxidant support.

2. Second line of research involves regulation of fats in the bloodstream.

Vitamin C is a powerful dietary antioxidant that has received considerable attention in the literature related to its possible role in heart health. Vitamin C has been linked in some work to improvements in lipid profiles, arterial stiffness, and endothelial function.

Vitamin E might reduce your risk of a future heart attack.

Vitamins C helps vitamin E work better in your body. It also improves the way your arteries work. Together, these two vitamins help protect your arteries from oxidized cholesterol.

Together, Vitamin E and vitamin C provide critical antioxidant support in the cardiovascular system, and they are an important part of the contribution made by tomatoes to our heart health. It’s the carotenoid lycopene, however, that has gotten the most attention as tomatoes’ premier antioxidant and heart-supportive nutrient.

Lycopene, a red pigment, helps with absorption of nutrients. can curb inflammation based on its powerful antioxidant qualities that inhibit oxidation at a cellular level. May help with hypertension in how it may reduce blood pressure and prevent risk factors for cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke. Helps reduce atherosclerosis, which forms when plaque clogs the arteries.

Lycopene has the ability to help lower the risk of lipid peroxidation in our bloodstream. Lipid per-oxidation is a process in which fats that are located in the membranes of cells lining the bloodstream, or fats that are being carried around in the blood that get damaged by oxygen. This

damage can be repaired if it is kept at manageable levels. The second line of research linking tomatoes with heart health involves regulation of fats in the blood. Dietary intake of tomatoes, consumption of tomato extracts, and supplementation with tomato phytonutrients (like lycopene)

have all been shown to improve the profile of fats in our bloodstream. Specifically, tomato intake has been shown to result in decreased total cholesterol, decreased LDL cholesterol, and decreased triglyceride levels.

Make sure your ratio reads 4-to-1 of the HDL vs. LDL. Please read more at Top 10 Diseases & Conditions Part 5 of 10: Stroke – A lot of pressure. It describes more on this topic.

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Vitamins B Reduce Stroke, Heart Disease Deaths

Biotin B7 also known as vitamin H, supports metabolic function and helps to break down food, especially carbohydrates. When cholesterol levels are too high you are at a greater risk of developing health problems such as heart disease, heart attack and stroke. It is thought that biotin can help to reduce bad cholesterol levels well. Folate B9 lower the levels of homocysteine reduces the thickening of the arterial walls.

Magnesium is the one important mineral your heart has more than any other organ in your body. Magnesium is central to a healthy heart rhythm because it’s involved in transporting other electrolytes, such as calcium and potassium, into cells. Electrolytes are all-important for nerve signals and the muscle contractions of a normal heartbeat. Research shows that magnesium deficiency, or restricted magnesium intake, increases irregular heartbeats known as arrhythmias. Magnesium is important for maintaining a healthy heartbeat and prevents spasms in heart muscle. Magnesium helps these cells relax. When your magnesium levels are low, calcium may overstimulate your heart muscle cells. One common symptom of this is a rapid and/or irregular heartbeat, which may be life-threatening.

1.The benefit of magnesium is its direct influence by antagonizing calcium, promotes the breakdown of fibrin (insoluble protein), stabilizing tissue and vascular injury limiting bleeding by closing the blood vessels to stop bleeding. 24

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2. Magnesium has strong anti-inflammatory properties, may prevent blood clotting, through the *tissue factor–activated factor VII pathway and factor IX, and can help your blood vessels relax to lower your blood pressure.

• The *tissue factor: The Tissue factor is found on the outside of blood vessels – normally not exposed to the bloodstream. Upon vessel injury, the tissue factor is exposed to the blood and circulating factor VII and IX. • Factor VII enzymes that break peptide bonds in proteins. • And, Factor IX (an amino acid) both platelet formation.

It is estimated that up to 80% of adults are magnesium deficient.

Magnesium + Potassium = a great team

Potassium has long been known to regulate blood pressure levels. The sodium potassium pump, an enzyme that generates electrical impulses, requires magnesium for proper function. Certain electrical impulses can affect your heartbeat.

Zinc protects against heart disease. It is a vital element in maintaining the normal structure and physiology of cells. The fact that it has an important role in states of cardiovascular diseases has been studied and described by several research groups. It appears to have protective effects in coronary artery disease and cardiomyopathy (chronic diseases of the heart muscle). 25

Potassium has long been known to regulate blood pressure levels. The sodium potassium pump, an enzyme that generates electrical impulses, requires magnesium for proper function. Certain electrical impulses can affect your heartbeat.

Zinc protects against heart disease. It is a vital element in maintaining the normal structure and physiology of cells. The fact that it has an important role in states of cardiovascular diseases has been studied and described by several research groups. It appears to have protective effects in coronary artery disease and cardiomyopathy (chronic diseases of the heart muscle).

C-reactive protein helps reduce risk or heart attack and stroke. Generated as part of the body’s immune response, CRP seems to predict the chance of having cardiovascular problems at least as well as cholesterol levels leading to heart attack and stroke.

Quercetin, a flavonoid, is associated with anti-inflammatory, properties and may lower the risk of plaque build-up, reducing BP. It is proven to improve your LDL cholesterol, lower inflammation, and protect your heart.

Do you have nightshade sensitivity?

Few people are familiar with the term nightshades, and many will be surprised to learn

that consuming foods from this plant group may be

contributing to their pain and inflammation. One of the most popular foods consumed today includes Tomatoes. But for some people they can be like poison. They contain glycoalkaloids known to contribute to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and negatively affect intestinal permeability. I know this is supposed to be about the heart, but if you are a heavy consumers of nightshades the process of inflammation and pain reduction can take up to 3 months. One of the major problems attributed to nightshade is arthritis and other rheumatoid related illness. Arthritis is also the most common disability in the U.S.

As with any food sensitivity, the only way to find out is to remove nightshades from your diet from 2-4 weeks and see if you feel better. Nightshade sensitivity, chronic pain, or arthritis and reports of people who have found that nightshades aggravate arthritis, fibromyalgia, or other chronic pain syndromes. I am personally somewhat sensitive to nightshades depending on how much I eat. Everyone is different, so as always, you’ll need to discover for yourself whether these foods may pose problems for your individual chemistry.

However, given what we know about nightshade chemicals, common sense tells us that these foods are well worth exploring whether they have are potential culprits in your pain syndromes, gastrointestinal syndromes, and neurologic/ psychiatric symptoms.

I suggest that if you suspect you have a nightshade intolerance or allergy should keep a food diary and keep a daily record of their symptoms.

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Avoid eating for 4 weeks. Then reintroduce them into the diet for 1–2 days to see if symptoms return.

Pomegranates and the heart

If Tomatoes are a problem for you, try Pomegranates. Pomegranates may have beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease.

Studies in mice and men show that drinking pomegranate juice can protect LDL (“bad”) cholesterol from oxidative damage.

NCBI PubMed (Magnesium) PubMed (Zinc) HealthLine EverydayHealth WhFoods DiagnosisDiet (Nightshade) Wikipedia (Factor IX) Wicopedia (Factor II)