How Tomato Sauce Promotes Gut Health

In a study published in the Journal of Functional Foods, researchers from Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) in Spain evaluated how gut bacteria interacts with antioxidants in your gut, specifically with respect to cooked tomato sauce. The team chose to use pear tomatoes because they have a particularly high lycopene content and are rich in antioxidants.

Led by professor Ana Belén Heredia from UPV's department of food technology, the scientists conducted in vitro experiments to see how Lactobacillus reuteri (L. reuteri) would interact with antioxidants derived from tomato sauce and if the cooking process might influence that interaction. L. reuteri is one of the main bacterial species known to contribute to your gut health.

Heredia and her team noted a loss of antioxidants with respect to both raw and cooked (fried) tomato sauce as a result of the digestive process. Furthermore, it appeared the presence of L. reuteri prevented some of the antioxidants from being absorbed into the bloodstream. Notably, the group also observed the antioxidants from the tomato sauce — more so with the cooked sauce than its raw equivalent — enhanced the positive effects of L. reuteri.

Cooked sauce also had the effect of transforming the lycopene present in the tomato, which helped preserve its integrity through the digestive process, allowing more of this important antioxidant to be absorbed. Noted Heredia, "[W]e found serving meals rich in probiotics with fried tomato sauce boosts its probiotic effect, as well as causing a progressive isomerization of the lycopene of the tomato, from form cis to trans throughout digestion, which positively results in an increased final bioaccessibility of this carotenoid."

Article Source: Dr Mercola at Mercola.com 

How to Increase the Absorption of Lycopene From Tomatoes

Because lycopene is a fat-soluble nutrient, you can increase its absorption by eating it alongside a food rich in healthy fats. A study published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition tested the absorption of lycopene with respect to tomatoes cooked in olive oil, a combination characteristic of the Southern Mediterranean diet.

The study authors noted previous research has proven lycopene absorption is increased with respect to processed tomatoes as compared to fresh tomatoes because "the processing breaks down the tomato cell matrix and makes the lycopene more available."

The goal of the current research was to determine the effects of pairing cooked tomatoes with olive oil. The researchers measured plasma lycopene concentrations for healthy participants who ate a low-lycopene diet and again following a five-day dietary intervention during which time the participants ate one meal a day containing 470 grams of tomatoes cooked with or without 25 milliliters of olive oil.

The participants consuming the cooked tomatoes and olive oil showed an 82-percent increase in plasma trans-lycopene and a 40 percent increase in cis-lycopene concentrations. About the results, the study authors said:

"The addition of olive oil to diced tomatoes during cooking greatly increases the absorption of lycopene. The results highlight the importance of … how a food is prepared and consumed in determining the bioavailability of dietary carotenoids such as lycopene."

If you are not fond of olive oil, you might consider adding coconut oil or Medium Chain Triglyceride (MCT) oil to your homemade tomato sauce. MCT oil, which has no taste or smell, is composed of concentrated medium chain fatty acids derived from coconut oil. Another option is to serve cooked tomatoes or homemade tomato sauce with organic grass fed beef.

Article Source: Dr Mercola at Mercola.com