Eating tomatoes could help reduce stroke risk in men

Eating tomatoes and other brightly coloured foods could seriously help men in reducing their risk of a stroke, according to new research.

The University of Eastern Finland conducted a study recently which found that men who had high levels of lycopene (an antioxidant found in tomatoes) in their blood were 55 per cent less likely to have a stroke compared with those who had the lowest blood levels of the antioxidant. That's a big difference.

"The results support the recommendation that people get more than five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, which would likely lead to a major reduction in the number of strokes worldwide," said study researcher Jouni Karppi.

Sounds good if you love tomatoes, right? Well, don’t jump the gun just yet as the researchers cautioned against over-interpreting the results. The research shows an association between high levels of lycopene in the blood and a lower risk of having a stroke, but not a cause-and-effect link.

Basically, the researchers aren’t too sure if it’s actually the lycopene that’s doing all the good work or if there’s something else that has a key role in reducing stroke risk.

So what should men eat to avoid a stroke? Dr Karppi suggests that men eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, if not more. Lets just hope you really like tomatoes then.