Tomatoes as functional food

Tomatoes and many tomato products are healthy and protect against a.o. cardiovascular diseases. The large diversity of substances in tomatoes is the reason for this health effect. Lycopene and vitamin C and E appear to occur the most in tomatoes. These three substances have each a protective effect against the development of cardiovascular diseases. This research shows that a combination of lycopene and vitamin C and E has a larger health effect than each substance alone. That is the case because the substances cooperate in various processes in the body. A combination of several substances therefore turns out to be better than one single substance.