Tomato juice is that beverage your parents forced you to drink as a child; for others, it’s the basis of a good Bloody Mary. Your parents forced you to drink tomato juice for a reason; it is filled to the brim with health benefits.
Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, one of the best antioxidants for your health. Lycopene is the compound that gives red and pink fruits their color. As an antioxidant, it protects your body from damages that are caused by free radicals. When your body has higher numbers of free radicals than antioxidant numbers it can result in the creation of oxidative stress inside your body. This form of stress is linked to chronic diseases, such as, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and heart disease. Lycopene destroys the free radicals that cause cancer and even slows down the progression of certain types of cancer.
Eating lycopene also helps to lower your risk of developing heart disease. It does this by reducing free-radical damage and “bad” LDL cholesterol levels, which subsequently raises your “good” HDL cholesterol.
Some of the other benefits of lycopene include:
Improve your eyesight
Lycopene can prevent or slow down the formation of cataracts. It also reduces your risk of developing macular degeneration.
Reduce Pain
Lycopene has been shown to prevent neuropathic pain, pain that is caused by nerve and tissue damage.
Protect your brain
Lycopene’s antioxidant properties are also beneficial for preventing seizures and memory loss that occurs with age related memory diseases, like Alzheimer’s.
Contribute to stronger bones
Lycopene is also good for slowing down cellular death of bone cells which naturally keeps your bones healthy and strong.
The biggest reasons that some researchers claim tomato juice is unhealthy is that prepackaged tomato juice tends to have excess sodium. To maximize the health benefits of tomato juice, prepare it yourself, fresh.
