The secret of eternal youth
While tomato has long been credited with cutting cholesterol and preventing some cancers, the fruit now appears to have two more health-giving benefits.
Protection against sunburn and helping keep the skin looking youthful are the latest fingdings, a study has found. To test the fruit's ability to protect the skin, ten volunteers were asked to eat five tablespoons of tomato paste mixed with olive oil every day for three months. Another ten had a daily dose of olive oil—minus the tomato paste. Tests showed the tomato-eaters were a third better protected against sunburn at the end of the study than at the start. Other tests suggested the tomato-based diet had boosted production of collagen, the protein that keeps skin soft.
If that were not enough, the fruit also protects our mitochondria—the elements of cells which turn the food we eat into energy. A researcher said: "Being kind to our mitochondria is likely to contribute to improved skin health, which in turn may have an anti-ageing effect."
Tomoto’s benefits are credited to lycopene, a powerful antioxidant capable of eliminate free radicals—the harmful molecules linked to cancer—is made easier for the body to absorb when tomatoes are cooked or processed.
The researchers stressed, however, that their findings were not an excuse to throw away the suncream. People should not think tomatoes in any way can replace suncreams, but they may be a good additive.
Scientists recommend two tomato-based meals a day for optimum health.
青春常驻的奥秘
长期以来，番茄一直被认为有降低胆固醇和预防某些癌症的作用，现在它似乎又多了两项健身功效。
一项最新研究发现，番茄还具有防止烈日晒伤以及保持皮肤省略的功能。为了测试番茄的护肤功效，研究人员让十名志愿者每天食用五汤匙拌有橄榄油的番茄酱。测试结果表明，食用番茄者的防晒能力在试验结束时比开始时增强了三分之一。其他测试则显示，以番茄为基础的饮食促进了胶原蛋白的生长。胶原蛋白是一种保持皮肤柔嫩的蛋白质。
如果这还不够说明问题的话，番茄还有保护人体内线粒体的功效。线粒体是一种将我们摄入的食物转化为能量的细胞成分。一位研究人员说：“善待我们的线粒体会有助于增进皮肤健康，从而可能产生抗衰老效果”。
番茄的好处应归功于番茄红素，它是一种强大的抗氧化剂，能够清除与癌症相关的有害分子自由基。烹饪或加工过的番茄，其番茄红素更容易被人体吸收。
但是研究人员也强调说，他们的发现并不是要人们丢弃防晒霜。人们不能以为番茄可以完全取代防晒霜，但是它们或许能够起到很好的补充作用。
为了达到最佳健康状态，科学家建议人们每天的两餐中都应有番茄。