Tomato Juice Found to Lower Inflammation Markers

Overweight and obese people suffer from chronic inflammation of the fatty tissue which can lead to a number of ailments, including cardiovascular disease and type-2 diabetes. A recent study suggests that drinking a glass of tomato juice (which is rich in the compound lycopene) a day may reduce markers of inflammation in overweight individuals.

The study included 106 overweight or obese women with an average age of 23. Over the course of 20 days, half of the women drank 11 oz. of tomato juice while the other half drank the same amount of water.

At the conclusion of the study, the overweight women (but not the obese women) showed reductions in the inflammation markers IL-8 and TNF-alpha. In comparison, the water group had increases in both inflammation markers.

The obese participants showed no notable changes.

The study was conducted by researchers at the Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran, and the University of Newcastle, Australia. It was published online ahead of print on October 15, 2012, in the British Journal of Nutrition.

The researchers believe that the results seen here can be attributed to lycopene. Previous studies have shown that lycopene may have a positive effect on heart health, bone health, and skin health.

If you want to increase lycopene levels you may want to consider taking a lycopene supplement, or increasing your consumption of red-pigmented foods such as tomatoes, peppers and papayas. Certain diets, such as the Mediterranean diet, are also high in lycopene.