Posted on June 1st, 2009 by Craig Maltby, Editor
Little Italy helps make my immune health belissimo! Or maybe it’s forte.
My wife and I were down at the metro area farmer’s market this past weekend. Beautiful weather, big crowds and food galore, of course. Bought some tomatoes. On the drive back to the suburbs, we stopped off in the Little Italy section of Des Moines. Yes, Des Moines does have an Italian area of town, and it’s more than just a Pizza Hut.
We bought some vodka sauce and ravioli at an Italian food mart to take home. Between the pasta sauce and the tomatoes, I think I just helped my immune health a bit. Tomatoes and processed tomato products (sauces, tomato juice, ketchup, salsa, etc.), contain a nutrient called lycopene. It’s been studied over the past decade, and has demonstrated some potential health benefits. Lycopene has been associated with improving prostate health among male populations, and may also have some cardiovascular benefits. Definitive findings on these health impacts have not yet been ascertained and published, but a number of smaller studies and epidemiological data indicate a potential impact. Another study also shows lycopene — particularly as delivered in tomato juice — may lower inflammatory markers in the body by 34%. Such inflammation response may indicate an immune system impact, as well, though the science on lycopene and immune health is a bit contentious. A number of large health research bodies maintain there is no connection between lycopene and immune health or immune balance. Other researchers claim there is, as evidenced by the study above (regulating the TNF-alpha immune system mediator).
Either way, hitting the sauce can’t hurt.. and may even help.
