An Ordinary Vegetable Unexpectedly Linked to Lower Blood Pressure 0 142

Lycopene — the pigment that gives tomatoes their red color — may provide significant benefits to the cardiovascular system. This conclusion was reached by the authors of a large meta-analysis published in the journal Food & Function (F&F): data from clinical interventions show that regular consumption of tomatoes or products containing natural lycopene is associated with a reduction in blood pressure.

The effect was found to be small but consistent: on average, systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings decreased by several millimeters of mercury, which is considered clinically significant at the population level. At the same time, the impact of lycopene on cholesterol and triglycerides was less clear-cut — results varied across different studies, and no stable improvement in lipid profiles was identified.

The authors note that the most convincing data pertains specifically to blood pressure and emphasize the high reliability of these conclusions. They estimate that a potentially beneficial dose is about 5–30 mg of lycopene per day — roughly equivalent to two raw tomatoes a day. This is not about replacing medical therapy, but rather a simple dietary factor that can contribute to reducing cardiovascular risks.