tomato
Low-calorie, lycopene-rich fruit-vegetable with modest blood-pressure and lipid benefits.
Moderate evidence
🥦Vegetables
Evidence tier
Moderate
Research weight
Citations
11 verified / 11
Classification
Vegetables
❝
What the evidence says. Several controlled trials; effects real but modest or context-dependent.
Nutrition per serving 1 medium, raw (123 g)
- Sugars 3.2 g3%
- Fibre 1.5 g1%
- Other carbs 0.1 g0%
- Protein 1.1 g1%
- Other 117.1 g95%
22 kcal1.1 g protein1.5 g fiber3.2 g sugar
| Nutrient | Per serving | % daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin C | 17 mg | 19% |
| Fiber | 1.5 g | 5% |
| Potassium | 292 mg | 6% |
| Folate | 18 µg | 5% |
| Vitamin A | 52 µg | 6% |
| Vitamin K | 9.7 µg | 8% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.1 mg | 6% |
| Manganese | 0.14 mg | 6% |
| Copper | 0.07 mg | 8% |
| Vitamin E | 0.66 mg | 4% |
| Magnesium | 14 mg | 3% |
| Calcium | 12 mg | 1% |
Composition data: USDA FoodData Central ↗
What is tomato?
tomato is a vegetable used for lowers systolic blood pressure. NutriDex grades the human evidence as Moderate. Tomato is the dominant dietary source of lycopene, a carotenoid concentrated further by cooking and fat (paste, sauce). Meta-analyses of randomized trials show tomato/lycopene supplementation modestly lowers systolic blood pressure and LDL-cholesterol and improves endothelial flow-mediated dilation, while observational data link higher intake to lower prostate-cancer risk and lower cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. RCT evidence is strongest for cardiometabolic risk factors; cancer and mortality signals rest mainly on cohort data.
Purported Benefits
✓Lowers systolic blood pressure
✓Reduces LDL-cholesterol
✓Improves endothelial function (FMD)
✓Associated with lower prostate-cancer risk
✓Linked to lower cardiovascular mortality
Dosing & Compounds
Typical Dose
Standard serving: 1 medium, raw (123 g). Eat whole (with skin where edible); favour whole fruit over juice.
Active Compounds
Safety & Cautions
Generally very safe and low-FODMAP in normal amounts. High acidity may aggravate GERD/reflux in sensitive people. Tomato is a recognized source of oral-allergy and histamine sensitivity in a minority. Solanine/tomatine in green (unripe) fruit and leaves can cause GI upset in large quantities. Lycopene supplements (vs whole food) are not advised in pregnancy due to limited safety data. Educational only — always check with your doctor or pharmacist before combining tomato with any medicine.
Key Studies ★ 11 studies
meta-analysis
Yang 2023
✓ Full text
Systematic review with meta-analysis (RCT subset, 7 studies/641 participants): lycopene intake significantly lowered fasting blood glucose, with the effect concentrated in type 2 diabetes patients.
Meta-analysis
Current Pharm Design 2023
✓ PubMed
GRADE-assessed meta-analysis of 34 RCTs found lycopene/tomato consumption had NO significant effect on systolic or diastolic blood pressure, lipids, glucose or BMI; only malondialdehyde (oxidative stress) was significantly reduced.
Meta-analysis
Frontiers in Nutrition 2025
✓ Full text
Dose-response meta-analysis of 119 prospective cohorts (4.6 million subjects, 108,574 cancer cases) found higher blood lycopene per 10 ug/dL associated with 5% lower total cancer risk (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.93-0.96), while dietary lycopene intake showed no significant overall association (RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.98-1.02).
network meta-analysis
Rattanavipanon 2021
✓ PubMed
Systematic review and network meta-analysis: lycopene supplementation >12 mg/day effectively lowered systolic blood pressure, especially in Asians and those with higher baseline SBP.
meta-analysis of RCTs
Ilic 2020
✓ PubMed
Meta-analysis of 6 RCTs: lycopene did not change overall PSA in non-metastatic prostate cancer, but significantly reduced PSA in the subgroup with higher baseline PSA (>=6.5 ug/L).
meta-analysis
Cheng 2017
✓ PubMed
Meta-analysis of 21 trials: tomato/lycopene supplementation reduced LDL-cholesterol by 0.22 mmol/L (p=0.006), systolic BP by 5.66 mmHg (p=0.002), and improved flow-mediated dilation by 2.53% (p=0.01).
meta-analysis
Rowles 2017
✓ PubMed
Systematic review and meta-analysis: higher dietary and circulating lycopene were inversely associated with prostate cancer risk in a linear dose-response (~1% lower risk per additional 2 mg/day lycopene).
meta-analysis
Cheng 2019
✓ PubMed
Systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiological evidence: higher tomato/lycopene intake and circulating lycopene were associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.
RCT
Wolak (Nutrients) 2019
✓ Full text
Double-blind randomized dose-response trial in hypertensive subjects found only Tomato Nutrient Complex standardized to 15 or 30 mg lycopene significantly reduced systolic BP, while 5 mg TNC or 15 mg synthetic lycopene alone had no significant effect.
Observational
BMC Medicine 2025 (PREDIMED)
✓ Source
Prospective cohort of 2,970 men aged 55-80 at high cardiovascular risk (PREDIMED trial, 104 prostate cancer cases over 5.8 years mean follow-up) found higher dietary lycopene intake associated with lower prostate cancer incidence.
prospective cohort
Mazidi 2020
✓ Source
Population-based cohort (ILEP): higher tomato and lycopene consumption was inversely associated with total and cause-specific (cardiovascular) mortality.