ANTIATHEROGENIC AND WOUND HEALING EFFECTS OF TOMATOES

Abstract

Tomatoes are a valuable component of cardioprotective diet (Wilcox et al., 2003; Riccioni et al., 2008). They possess antioxidant activity, reduce blood pressure, low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, homocystein and platelet aggression by virtue of their high content of lycopene, beta carotene, folate, vitamins A, B, C, E, flavonoids and valuable minerals like potassium, magnesium, chromium, calcium, phosphorous and iron (Beecher, 1998; Wilcox et al., 2003; Riccioni et al., 2008).