Tomato juice is a good drink to add to your diet, whether you are a man or a woman.
Basically we are recommending that you make a habit of taking tomato juice once in a while.
Our recommendation is because of the many vitamins and antioxidants that are present in the red fruit juice.
Several studies have come up with the health benefits of this fruit that you use for your stew.
It is very delicious for stew, but above that delicious taste is its nutrients that can make you healthier.
One of the major compounds in this fruit is lycopene, which is an antioxidant.
Tomato juice also contains bioflavonoids, another antioxidant that has amazing health benefits.
Here are some of the benefits of tomato juice that researches have identified.
1. Prevents Prostate, Breast, Colon Cancers, Others
As a man ages, there is a likelihood of an enlarged prostate.
Basically, a man’s prostate produces the seminal fluid that nourishes and transports sperm.
However, when it gets bigger it could becomes cancerous and affects the man’s wellbeing.
When this enlargement happens, it could cause difficulty with urination. Sometimes, however, it does not present any symptom.
Some types of prostate cancer grow slowly, and for this reason there is need to monitor the prostate.
In other cases, prostate growth could be aggressive and require radiation, surgery, hormone therapy, chemotherapy or other treatments.
Fortunately, there is something you can do, as a man, to lower the risk of prostate enlargement.
One of them is to take tomato juice as often as possible.
Tomato juice contains lycopene and this compound gives it its red colour.
According to a study, lycopene contains antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and chemo-preventive properties against cancer (1).
Have Your Read: These Foods Will Keep Men’s Prostate Healthy
To make the antioxidants effective, you may need to heat the tomato juice a little or make it warm.
A study says lycopene absorption into the human body is more efficient when consumed from heated and lipid-rich dietary sources than raw sources.
It is observed to accumulate in the prostate and has anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic activities against prostate cancer.[2]
Furthermore, lycopene quenches singlet oxygen, scavenges free radicals, and prevents the oxidative damage of DNA.
When this happens, it prevents potential transformation of normal cells to cancer cells.
Another study says people who ate tomato regularly have a reduced risk of prostate cancer (3).
Also, this lycopene in tomato helps prevent lung, stomach, cervical, breast, oral, colorectal, esophageal, pancreatic, and many other types of cancer.
2. Boost Fertility
When we talk about fertility, it is not only for women. Men also contribute to why conception may be an issue.
Low sperm quality could keep a couple trying and trying for baby. Until the sperm improves, no conception will happen.
Fortunately, tomato juice can help boost a man’s sperm quality.
In a study of 44 patients, researchers found that regular consumption of tomato juice seems to improve sperm motility in infertile patients (4).
Other nutrients in tomato that promote fertility in women are folate, magnesium, potassium and manganese.
Women who are waiting to conceive can add tomato juice to their diet.
For this reason, the juice is great for females and males.
3. Improves Liver Health
The liver is such an important organ in your body and it draws nourishment from the kind of food you eat.
Tomato juice has detoxification effect in the body. This may be due to the presence of chlorine and
sulfur in tomatoes.
A research quoted some studies as saying that 51 mg of chlorine and 11 mg of sulfur in 100 grams size of tomato have a vital role in detoxification process.
See Foods In Nigeria That Improve Your Liver Function
According to the study, natural chlorine works in stimulating the liver and also filters and detoxifies body wastes.
“Sulfur in tomatoes protects the liver from cirrhosis, too (5).”
4. Boosts Heart Health
Your heart is another vital organ that needs nourishment.
Lycopene in tomato also helps improve your heart health.
Everyday you eat foods that contain animal fat, butter, cheese, pork, egg, beef, and other fried foods.
Most of these foods contain trans fat that hardens the arteries and make blood flow difficult.
Tomato juice prevents this hardening of arteries and makes blood flow easy.
As a result, people who have high blood pressure could add tomato juice to their diet to clean the arteries of clogs. This lowers the pressure.
Also, tomato juice is a good source of vitamin E. Together with lycopene, it prevents LDL (bad cholesterol) oxidation effectively.
Bad cholesterol has been linked to heart issues.
5. Treats Sunburn
If you want to also get rid of sunburn from your face, you could use tomato too.
You can use tomato powder to make a mask or the raw tomato after you have blended it.
Basically, tomato is a great source of vitamin C which makes it an excellent fruit or vegetable for rapid skin cell replacement.
How To Prepare Tomato Juice
You can either use raw tomato or the powder form to make your juice. Raw tomato is better because it will not contain any preservative and it is easily accessible.
Blend the tomato and ensure that it is very smooth. pour it in a pot and heat for few minutes on low heat.
Some studies recommend that you should take your tomato juice together with garlic have its cancer preventive effects (5).
You can also add honey to sweeten a bit. If you do not have honey, we recommend you take it the way it is.
Side Effects Of Tomato Juice To Consider
It is okay to watch how much of this fruit juice you take. Too much of everything is bad and tomato is not an exemption.
When you take to much tomato, it could cause stomach issues especially because it is acidic.
People who have acid reflux issues should ensure that they do not take tomato juice in an empty stomach.
This will cause more acid in the stomach and that spells trouble.
Also, tomato is rich in calcium and the more you take it, the more you increase the chances of kidney stone building.
Tomato also has a compound – histamine – which may lead to skin rashes or allergies.
Excess of it could also cause diarrhea.
If you have to take it daily, 1/4 (one-quarter) glass of tomato juice should be okay for you.