Tomato can cut risk of stroke by 50%: Study

 

LONDON: Eating tomato and tomato-based food rich in antioxidant lycopene can halve the risk of stroke, a research has said.

Finland researchers found that people with the highest amounts of lycopene in their blood were 55% less likely to have a stroke than people with lowest amounts of lycopene in their blood. The study involved 1,031 men between the ages of 46 and 65.

The level of lycopene in their blood was tested at the start of the study and they were followed for 12 years. During that time, 67 men had a stroke. Among the men with the lowest levels of lycopene, 25 of 258 men had a stroke.

Among those with the highest levels of lycopene, 11 of 259 men had a stroke. When researchers looked at just strokes due to blood clots, the results were even stronger. Those with the highest levels of lycopene were 59% less likely to have a stroke than those with the lowest levels.