Do you like tomatoes? This tangy, red coloured fruit is packed with health benefits. A must-have in Indian cuisine, tomatoes give a unique flavour and taste to the recipe.
But what is of more significance is that tomatoes can help you keep your blood pressure in control and help your heart to stay healthy. Hypertension is a known risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and including tomatoes in your diet might help you to cut down on the risk a little. And the same has been proven by various research studies.
According to a 2009 study published in Cardiovascular Drugs and Therapy [1], adding tomato extract to the diet of people with hypertension but on a low dose of ACE inhibitor drugs, calcium channel blockers and the combination with a low dose of diuretics, showed a significant reduction in the BP levels. The BP was reduced by more than ten mmHg (systolic) and more than five mmHg (diastolic).
Moreover, it didn’t show any side effects to the treatment. Another study published in the American Heart Journal [2] concluded that a short-term treatment with anti-oxidants rich tomato extract reduces blood pressure in patients with grade-1 hypertensive patients, people without any secondary illness and who do not require anti hypertensive or lipid-lowering drug therapy.
