Just drinking a glass of this in the morning can clean your blood vessels.
It is a well-known fact that you should eat vegetables for your health. However, for busy modern people, it is not easy to include vegetables in their daily diet. At this time, just drinking a glass of tomato juice in the morning can provide various health benefits. I looked into what health benefits can be gained from drinking a cup of tomato juice a day.
Good for heart health and lowers cholesterol levels
Drinking about one glass of tomato juice a day can help prevent heart disease. This is because the lycopene content in tomatoes aids in reducing blood pressure and cholesterol levels. In fact, a research team from Tokyo Dental College in Japan conducted a study on 481 individuals aged 20 to 74, asking them to consume as much salt-free tomato juice as they wanted over the course of a year.
The research team asked participants to record their daily tomato juice intake and changes in health status. The average daily intake per person was 215 mL. The team measured various factors at the beginning and end of the study, including blood pressure, triglycerides, blood cholesterol levels, and fasting plasma glucose levels.
The study results showed that blood pressure decreased in 94 individuals with hypertension or prehypertension. The average systolic blood pressure at the start of the study was 141.2 mmHg, which decreased to 137 mmHg after the study. The average diastolic blood pressure also decreased from 83.3 mmHg to 80.9 mmHg. These results were observed regardless of gender or age group. Cholesterol levels also decreased. In 125 individuals with dyslipidemia, LDL cholesterol, known as bad cholesterol, decreased by approximately 3.3%. Elevated LDL cholesterol levels increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as arteriosclerosis. There was no change in HDL cholesterol levels, which is considered good cholesterol.
◇Ripe red tomatoes have significant health benefits
The lycopene content varies depending on the type of tomato. Ripe red tomatoes and small cherry tomatoes have higher lycopene content per gram. The skins of tomatoes and other similar fruits and vegetables may contain residual pesticides. Therefore, it is recommended to soak them in water for about 5 minutes and then wash thoroughly before eating. However, tomato juice with added sugar can hinder the absorption of nutrients from tomatoes and may even raise blood sugar levels, so it is best to avoid it.
