Tomatoes: the Everyday Superfood for Heart Health
November 09 2010 - 4:00PM
Business Wire
ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE: CAG) one of North America’s leading
food makers, presented research findings this week exploring the
unique cardiovascular benefits of tomatoes as part of a
heart-healthy diet. Beyond the widely recognized benefits of
lycopene, recent studies have suggested that the distinct
combination of nutrients found in tomatoes may have a measurable
impact on heart disease prevention.
At the American Dietetic Association’s Food and Nutrition
Conference and Expo held in Boston this week, ConAgra Foods, the
maker of Hunt’s® tomatoes, sponsored a session featuring Dr. Tissa
Kappagoda of the University of California-Davis and Dr. Penny
Kris-Etherton of Penn State University. They reviewed multiple
studies, including the 2009 Tomato Products Wellness Council
research they co-authored with other medical experts, examining how
fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes can reduce heart disease
risk factors.
“Research suggests a protective relationship between the
consumption of tomatoes and tomato products and cardiovascular
disease,” said Dr. Kappagoda, director of the Coronary Heart
Disease Reversal Program, University of California-Davis. “For
instance, in a six-week study, people with high blood pressure who
consumed two servings of canned tomato products daily experienced a
significant decrease in blood pressure.”(1)
According to a study reported in the American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition, lycopene absorption is two to three times
greater in canned tomato products than raw tomatoes. (2) “Tomatoes
not only contain high levels of carotenoid antioxidants such as
lycopene, but also serve as a significant source of vitamin C,
fiber and potassium in the American diet,” said Kristin Reimers,
Ph.D., nutrition manager, ConAgra Foods. “Calorie for calorie,
tomatoes contain more than twice the potassium of other common
sources such as bananas, potatoes, milk and orange juice.”
Tomatoes are America’s favorite non-starchy vegetable and
account for 85 percent of the lycopene consumed in the U.S. Because
of the tomato’s popularity and nutritive value, the USDA has
outlined a new red-orange vegetable sub-group in the 2010 Dietary
Guidelines for Americans to provide a greater focus on
tomatoes.
In addition to the specific health benefits of tomatoes,
encouraging greater tomato consumption may help increase overall
vegetable intake since canned tomatoes, such as Hunt’s, are readily
available, widely accepted by consumers, convenient and economical.
“At a time when consumers are as concerned about getting the most
for their grocery dollar as they may be about their long-term
health, products like Hunt’s canned tomatoes can help people
balance value with nutrition,” Reimers said.
“For many years, heart-healthy diets have focused on dietary
restrictions such as saturated fat and trans fat,” said Penny
Kris-Etherton, Ph.D., R.D., distinguished professor, Penn State
University. “That mindset is changing and today, the overwhelming
majority of dietitians and physicians agree that to improve health
and reduce risk factors for cardiovascular disease, Americans need
to think positively about which foods to include in their diets
instead of which foods to avoid.”
ConAgra Foods has an ongoing commitment to health and wellness
and sponsors numerous research studies throughout the year to
convey the health benefits of a variety of foods to dietitians and
consumers.
About Hunt’s
Hunt’s tomatoes are available in many varieties, including No
Salt Added options, making it easy to incorporate the health
benefits of tomatoes into your daily meals. Only Hunt’s uses the
natural FlashSteam® process to lock in natural tomato goodness of
every tomato in Diced, Whole and Stewed varieties.
About ConAgra Foods
ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE: CAG), is one of North America’s
leading food companies, with brands in 97 percent of America’s
households. Consumers find Banquet, Chef Boyardee, Egg Beaters,
Hebrew National, Hunt’s, Marie Callender’s, Orville Redenbacher’s,
PAM, Peter Pan, Reddi-wip, Slim Jim, Snack Pack and many other
ConAgra Foods brands in grocery, convenience, mass merchandise and
club stores. ConAgra Foods also has a strong business-to-business
presence, supplying frozen potato and sweet potato products as well
as other vegetable, spice and grain products to a variety of
well-known restaurants, foodservice operators and commercial
customers. For more information, please visit us at
www.conagrafoods.com.
(1) “Processed tomato products and risk factors for chronic
disease,” Tomato Products Wellness Council, 2009.
(2) American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1997:66, 116-22.
ConAgra Brands (NYSE:CAG)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jun 2024 to Jul 2024
ConAgra Brands (NYSE:CAG)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jul 2023 to Jul 2024
