Tomato juice is more efficient than the conventional energy drinks in helping the muscles recover after a workout. The Daily Mail reports that this was stated by the staff of General Chemical State Laboratory in Greece.
According to the experts, tomato juice provides the body with essential nutrients that promote muscle recovery and normalize blood after intensive workouts in a gym. Greek doctors conducted a two-month experiment involving 15 athletes. In the course of the experiment, they measured their vital signs before, during and after workouts (during the class, enzymes were accumulated in the body, causing damage to the muscular and nervous systems).
Nine participants drank tomato juice after workouts, and the rest of them were given their usual carbonated energy drinks. The results showed that those who were drinking tomato juice quickly restored their muscles after exercise, and their blood glucose level returned to the normal one.
According to the experts, this effect is attributed to lycopene, a substance that is contained in tomatoes. It is a carotenoid pigment that determines the color of the fruits of some plants (such as guava and watermelon). Antioxidants in tomatoes have demonstrated their ability to prevent cancer, heart disease and other ailments. Doctors believe that it is for this reason that many people, who stick to the Mediterranean diet, live longer.
The study of the Greek scientists was published in the Food and Chemical Toxicology Journal.
This work confirms the findings previously made by the Swedish scientists: tomato juice reduces oxidative cell damage after a workout. The staff of Tianjin Medical University in China also studied the useful properties of tomatoes and found that their active use could by half reduce the risk of depression. The research scientists from the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio found that tomatoes protected people from stroke.