Eating tomatoes in moderation can effectively prevent new hypertension

Recently, the journal Nutrients published an article entitled "Tomato intake and the J-type association of new-onset hypertension in ordinary adults: a national prospective cohort study", which showed that eating tomatoes in moderation can effectively prevent new-onset hypertension
.

Hypertension is an important risk factor for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, known as the "silent killer"
.
To a certain extent, hypertension is a "lifestyle disease", it is necessary to establish the awareness of "prevention is greater than cure", maintain a good lifestyle and positive attitude, and make blood pressure "obedient"
.

Previous epidemiological data suggest that high consumption of fruits and vegetables reduces the risk of
hypertension.
Studies have shown that dietary tomato intake is inversely correlated with the risk of developing several major chronic diseases such as hepatocellular carcinoma and bladder cancer.
Studies have also found that supplementation with tomato-related ingredients such as lycopene has beneficial
effects on blood pressure.
However, from the perspective of tomatoes as a daily food, whether it is related to new-onset hypertension in adults, and what is the optimal intake of tomatoes, so far it is not clear
.

To bring the answer to the surface, the study was based on the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), using data from seven waves of CHNS from 1997 to 2015, to prospectively explore the association
between dietary tomato intake and new-onset hypertension.
Excluding people younger than 18 years, pregnant or diagnosed with a history of stroke, myocardial infarction, or any type of tumour at baseline, a total of 11,460 participants were included in the final follow-up analysis
.

In terms of dietary nutrient intake calculation, in each round of survey, nutritionists used a 24-hour dietary review method, combined with weighing and measurement techniques, to evaluate
dietary data for 3 consecutive days.
Among them, dietary tomato intake is calculated by adding up the intake of raw tomatoes, canned tomatoes, and tomato
paste.
In addition, diagnostic criteria for new-onset hypertension include diagnosis by a doctor, current use of antihypertensive drugs, or systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 mmHg
.

The study divided dietary tomato intake into 4 groups: group 1 was no tomato intake; Group 2 tomato intake was 0 to ≤13.
3 g/day; Group 3 was 13.
3 to ≤33.
3 g/day; Group 4 was >33.
3 g/day
.
A chi-square test or ANOVA was used to explore the characteristics
of participants at different dietary tomato intakes.

The results showed that of all subjects, 7075 (61.
7%) did not consume tomatoes
.
Participants had a mean age of 41.
7 years, and those with higher tomato intake were more likely to be older, male, and married, and tended to have higher BMI, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, educational attainment, baseline alcohol consumption rate, total carbohydrate, fat and protein intake, and were characterized by higher fruit and vegetable intake and less
physical activity.

Next, the researchers used a multivariate Cox proportional hazard model to estimate the association
between dietary tomato intake and new-onset hypertension.
The median follow-up was 6 years, and 4015 participants developed new-onset hypertension
.
After adjusting for confounding factors such as age, gender, BMI, smoking and drinking, it was found that there was a J-shaped relationship between dietary tomato intake and new-onset hypertension, and the lowest point was about 10-13 g/day
.
In other words, the study concluded that a dietary tomato intake of 10-13 g/day is most suitable for the prevention of new-onset hypertension in the general population, equivalent to about 1 Roman tomato, 2-3 small tomatoes or 5-7 cherry tomatoes
per week.

To eliminate the effect of Chinese eating fewer tomato products (canned tomatoes and ketchup), the researchers conducted a sensitivity analysis and found that raw tomato intake was also significantly negatively associated
with the risk of new-onset hypertension.

The stratified analysis of the modified potential effects was also interesting, with a stronger association between dietary tomato intake and the risk of new-onset hypertension in women or individuals who did not smoke or drink alcohol, possibly because participants with smoking or drinking habits may have high-risk features of vascular endothelial dysfunction and chronic inflammation, and have a much
higher risk of developing hypertension.
Factors such as age, BMI, baseline systolic blood pressure, fat, protein, and carbohydrate consumption did not change the association
between dietary tomato intake and new-onset hypertension.

So, what is the biological mechanism by which tomato intake plays a protective role in the development of new-onset hypertension? At present, there are several views in the scientific research community, including lycopene can effectively reduce oxidative stress, hydrophilic compounds (mainly polyphenols) in tomatoes can inhibit angiotensin-converting enzyme, and potassium contained in tomatoes can reduce blood pressure, etc.
, and the specific potential mechanism needs to be further studied
.

Finally, the authors note that the median dietary tomato intake in the Chinese population is currently less than 5 g/day, while the median dietary tomato intake of US subjects in the PLCO screening trial is about 13 g/day, and although tomato intake is lower than in Western countries, its benefits
to humans can still be observed.
It should be noted that not the more tomatoes the better, excessive intake of tomatoes may weaken its protective effect on the human body, which may be related
to excessive intake of solanine.

(Source: Biovalley)

China Food News(Version 03, December 14, 2022)

(Responsible editor: Han Songyan).