They are a common ingredient found in millions of kitchens across Britain.
But the benefits of tomatoes could extend far beyond a tasty pizza topping or pasta sauce.
For drinking unsalted tomato juice could help reduce cholesterol levels in the blood, experts say.
According to TV doctor and NHS paediatrician Dr Ranj Singh, the drink — available for as little as £1 in supermarkets — is rich in lycopene, a chemical that gives tomatoes their famous red colour.
Higher levels of this can help prevent plaque from building up in the arteries, which increases the risk of heart attacks, he said.
This is because lycopene works by inhibiting LDL — a harmful type of cholesterol that leads to hardening of the arteries that supply oxygenated blood to the heart.
Cholesterol is a fatty, waxy substance found in the blood that is vital for bodily functions including digestion, making vitamin D and hormones.
However, too much can build up in the blood due to eating fatty food, not exercising enough, being overweight, smoking and drinking alcohol.
According to TV doctor and NHS paediatrician Dr Ranj Singh, the drink — available for as little as £1 in supermarkets — is rich in lycopene, a chemical that gives tomatoes their famous red colour
Drinking unsalted tomato juice could help reduce cholesterol levels in the blood, experts say
Having high LDL cholesterol doesn’t trigger any symptoms but can lead to blocked blood vessels and raise the risk of heart problems and strokes.
High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), meanwhile, has long been considered good because of the swathe of evidence showing it protects the heart.
It removes cholesterol from the arteries and carries it to the liver to be broken down and removed from the body — reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
HDL cholesterol has been shown to protect against heart disease, with the NHS stating that levels above 18mg/dL for men and 21.6mg/dL for women are healthy.
But some research has since started to challenge the view that more is better.
Speaking on the BBC’s Good Morning Live, Dr Ranj said: ‘Tomato juice contains something called lycopene which helps to lower cholesterol in some people.’
A virgin bloody Mary ‘might be a great idea’, he added.
He also urged people with high cholesterol to increase their intake of whole grains to improve their fibre and help boost the gut.
Speaking on the BBC’s Good Morning Live, Dr Ranj said: ‘Tomato juice contains something called lycopene which helps to lower cholesterol in some people’
Studies have long suggested there may be a link between lycopene in tomatoes and lowering levels of ‘bad cholesterol’. Pictured, a cholesterol plaque in artery
Oats, for instance, contain a soluble fibre called beta-glucan, he said, which has been shown can lower cholesterol levels.
Studies have long suggested there may be a link between lycopene in tomatoes and lowering levels of ‘bad cholesterol’.
In 2019, Japanese researchers found that drinking one 200ml bottle every day lowered blood pressure and cholesterol in people at risk of the condition.
Among those with high cholesterol, 125 experienced a 3.3 per cent average fall in the fatty substance.
The beneficial effects were similar among men, women and different age groups, according to the findings published in the journal Food Science and Nutrition.
Meanwhile in 2018, scientists in Peru also discovered that participants who drank tomato juice with olive oil containing lycopene saw a larger drop in cholesterol levels than those who did not.
The drink ‘can help to lower cholesterol in patients’, they said.
And in 2011, Australian researchers even concluded that cooked tomatoes can have similar benefits as statins for patients battling against high cholesterol or high blood pressure.
Following an analysis of 14 international studies on the benefits of lycopene, they said tomatoes could be an ‘effective alternative’ to statins, with just two ounces of tomato paste or a pint of juice a day enough to help many patients.
Other experts, however, have issued caution over such findings claiming more research is still needed to accurately represent the health benefits of tomato juice.
