Tomatoes are rich in anti-oxidant compounds like lycopene, the pigment which gives them a red colour. Health experts believe that these compounds alter the levels of appetite regulating hormones
like ghrelin and help to make people feel fuller.
To reach this conclusion, researchers from the Reading University, Berkshire, England, UK, examined the effects of bread enriched with vegetables on 17 normal weight women aged 18 to 35.
Tomato sandwiches proved most filling
The women were offered cream cheese sandwiches made with white bread enriched with either carrots or tomatoes. The volunteers were also asked to record how fuller they felt.
It was thought that the additional fiber in carrot bread sandwiches would turn out to be most filling. However, contrary to this, breads enriched with tomatoes were the most satisfying.
Lead researcher Dr Julie Lovegrove, a specialist in nutritional metabolism from the Reading University, Berkshire, England, UK, said, “They were given given the sandwiches in a random order and we recorded how full they said they were.
It was a small study, and we can't yet say what the crucial tomato ingredient is, but the results were statistically significant.”
The researchers believe that further research is needed to figure out the exact ingredient which helped in keeping off the hunger pangs in those women. However, they deemed their findings as ‘significant’.
“We can’t yet say what the crucial ingredient is, but the results were statistically significant,” they said.
Tomato and health benefits
Previous studies have also linked tomatoes with many health related benefits.
Rich in vitamin C, tomatoes help protect against sunburn, keep the skin looking healthy even in old age, and cause faster healing of wounds.
Lycopene, key component of tomatoes, is also thought to be very effective in warding off heart diseases, diabetes, dementia, and some forms of cancer—breast, cervical, skin, lung, bladder and pancreatic.
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