Tomatoes: Do They actually Trigger Acne Or Are They Bursting With Nutrition?
the item seems to be pretty much general knowledge of which tomatoes in addition to also also tomato products are extremely healthy, can cure cancer, relieve inflammation, in addition to also also much more.
If true, of which would likely be great news for consumers seeing as in 2012, the average American ate 16.7 pounds of tomato per year. Tomatoes are the most commonly consumed vegetable from the USA after white potatoes.
however there’s no doubt of which as fruits in addition to also also vegetables go (tomatoes are botanically a fruit, however officially a vegetable), the tomato is usually one of the poorer ones for any acne patient, whether you’re lowering inflammation, beating insulin resistance, hoping to unblock pores or whatever else.
Tomatoes are a decent source of acne nutrients in addition to also also antioxidants however they pale compared to the best fruits of the best. Furthermore, tomatoes are a classic food for triggering acne via allergic reactions.
Why tomatoes trigger acne outbreaks
You only have to search on acne forums to find stories of bad bursts of acne by tomatoes. “Tomatoes gave me cystic lesions on my chin”, “tomatoes gave me bad acne in addition to also also digestive bloating”, “my face becomes flushed in addition to also also I get acne within 24 hours of consumption”.
Tomatoes contain only 2.6 grams of sugar per 100 grams, no acne-causing defensive toxins like gluten, in addition to also also certainly no additives by processed foods. So why is usually tomato sensitivity so rampant?
The answer: tomatoes are a member of the nightshade family.
Nightshades are an extremely wide family of plants across the earth. Almost all are poisonous to humans; you might have been travelling in foreign countries one time only to have your guide instruct you to never start chewing on of which deadly nightshade from the forest. Nightshade plants growing in local woods can kill or cause rapid vomiting.
However we can stomach a few nightshades in addition to also also some species are common vegetables – bell peppers, hot peppers, white potatoes (however not sweet potatoes), eggplants, tobacco, goji berries, in addition to also also tomatoes.
Read Annihilate Your Acne – get the ultimate diet for clearing acne permanently!
The problem is usually of which almost all nightshades contain glycoalkaloids, natural alkaloids in plants which act as defensive toxins. Glycoalkaloids essentially act as the nightshade’s natural pesticide – with humans among the pests to be deterred.
The history of nightshades is usually littered with controversy. Glycoalkaloids are famous for causing joint pain; the item started out from the 1940s when the horticulturalist Norma Childers noticed of which livestock who ate nightshades by the woods had a tendency to develop arthritis. He removed these nightshades by the animal’s diets in addition to also also is usually if by magic, their arthritis disappeared. Furthermore, he then removed nightshades by his own diet in addition to also also his own arthritis disappeared.
Nowadays, many family doctors advise reducing nightshades for treating joint pain in addition to also also arthritis. Why does joint pain matter for acne patients, you might ask? Joint pain is usually a sign of chronic inflammation, in addition to also also chronic inflammation is usually the single biggest disease behind acne.
The famous glycoalkaloid in potatoes is usually solanine, in addition to also also solanine allergies are well established to happen. The FDA limits the amount of glycoalkaloids in potatoes to 200mg/kg because of their known toxicity in some. In This particular article I discussed how the only real downside of potatoes for acne patients is usually the high amounts of glycoalkaloids from the skin.
Luckily, potato skins can be peeled off however there’s no such luck with tomatoes. The main glycoalkaloid in tomato is usually alpha-tomatine. Tomatine is usually 20 times less toxic than solanine for a normal human, however tomatine is usually also believed to cause allergic-like reactions in many, which can include acne in addition to also also inflammation. Like potatoes, tomatoes routinely give healthy people joint stiffness in addition to also also painful red rashes for no apparent reason.
Tomatine was shown in one study to damage stomach cells severely in some people. Pharmaceutical companies are reportedly experimenting with fresh vaccines which include tomatine. Why? Apparently tomatine triggers a massive immune system response when consumed, a classic hallmark of inflammation.
Some stories indicative of inflammation by tomato consumption include…
- “I completely eliminated tomatoes by my diet for a week in addition to also also my arthritis went away completely. Then I tried eating lots of them in addition to also also the item flared up again”.
- “One morning, I awoke to find of which I had developed severe arthritic pains in my left fore-arm in addition to also also hand. I then left tomatoes off the menu, in addition to also also within 2 days the pain had all however disappeared. One day later, I was pain-free.”
- “Tried some sliced tomato across using a smaller amount of skin in addition to also also still I had problems the next day, including bloating, gas, in addition to also also stomach pain”.
- One woman eats raw tomatoes in addition to also also will “within a day have eczema on my fingers in addition to also also the skin on my face will become red in addition to also also inflamed, in addition to also also will break out much worse than the item usually does”.
On the various other hand, actual studies on tomatoes in addition to also also inflammation show a different picture:
- Scientists in This particular study fed tomato juice to 53 obese or overweight women in addition to also also water to another 53 women. The tomato juice substantially reduced levels of inflammation; key inflammatory chemicals behind acne were lowered including TNF-a, IL-6, in addition to also also IL-8.
- This particular study found of which placing 103 people on a Mediterranean style tomato rich diet did not affect their inflammation levels at all. Compared to a tomato free diet, there was no change in pro-inflammatory chemicals like hs-CRP, E-selectin in addition to also also ICAM-1. The scientists concluded of which “The mechanisms of benefit of the tomato-rich diet are not directly related to inhibition of markers of vascular inflammation”. No improvement however no deterioration either.
What does This particular mean for us acne patients? Tomatoes are not an inherently bad food for your acne, however sensitivity is usually common. There’s a smaller chance of which you’ll notice random outbreaks of acne by regularly eating tomatoes. Maybe you’ve already noticed a sensitivity in addition to also also of which’s why you’re here; in of which case the item’s highly likely of which the tomatine is usually to blame for your symptoms.
If you do notice joint pain, red rashes, or digestive discomfort after eating tomatoes, then they are contributing to your acne in addition to also also the item’s a Great idea to eliminate them.
Tomatoes – the complete acne analysis
Even if you aren’t sensitive to tomatoes then I still don’t recommend of which you place them on a pedestal above various other fruits in addition to also also vegetables. While surfing the internet you may have seen claims like “there’s no vegetable from the earth of which matches a tomato” or “tomato is usually a powerhouse of nutrition”. Tomatoes often get hyped up on health websites because many manufacturers want to sell the lycopene antioxidants inside the item as a health supplement…
…however the truth is usually of which tomatoes aren’t a superfood for micronutrients in addition to also also anyone can deduce of which using a glance at its basic nutrition table:
-100 grams of tomatoes contains 22% of RDA for vitamin C (13mg).
-16% for vitamin A.
-2% for magnesium.
-7% potassium.
-1% for calcium (10mg).
-6% for manganese.
-1% for zinc (0.2mg).
-3% for vitamin E (0.5mg).
-4% for vitamin B6.
-3% for niacin.
-1% for vitamin B5.
of which’s pretty poor. The Vitamin C count seems Great at first glance however the item’s poor in context. Strawberries, potatoes, broccoli, in addition to also also many various other plant foods are vastly better sources.
Furthermore, the RDA of 60mg for vitamin C is usually far too low. You can cure acne with of which amount, however to provide maximum resources for improving collagen production in addition to also also strengthening your skin the item’s better to aim for 200mg plus.
Recommended article – the top 6 vitamins in addition to also also minerals for clear skin
Tomatoes are especially poor considering of which fact. They’re useless for zinc, magnesium, in addition to also also vitamin E as well; vitamin E is usually another acne nutrient where the RDA of 15mg is usually far too low.
The vitamin A count is usually decent, however sweet potatoes contain 0% of the RDA per 100 grams. Tomatoes don’t have stellar levels of any nutrient.
What about antioxidants then, which are often the real standout quality of many acne friendly fruits? On the ORAC scale (oxygen radical absorbance capacity), raw tomatoes receive a score of 350-550, depending on how they’re cooked. Tomatoes have some antioxidant power, so they clearly have some power to reduce oxidative stress in addition to also also prevent blocked pores…
…however of which score pales in comparison to tons of various other foods. Pomegranate scores 10,500, apples score 4669, strawberries score 4302, in addition to also also so on. Furthermore, none of them are nightshades in addition to also also none are controversial when the item comes to inflammation in addition to also also digestive problems.
Does lycopene in tomatoes cure acne?
Speaking of lycopene, you’ve probably heard about how This particular antioxidant which provides the tomato’s red colour is usually great at preventing cancer in addition to also also lowering inflammation. Well, the item is usually, in addition to also also of which’s one redeeming factor for tomatoes:
- 40 patients with heart failure were randomly assigned to either two groups: a lycopene supplemented diet or a standard diet. Each patient had their levels of C – reactive protein measured – which is usually the most commonly used biomarker for assessing bodily inflammation levels. In women, though not men, lycopene decreased CRP levels substantially (study).
- Scientists in This particular study created a tomato based dink featuring lycopene as well as various other tomato antioxidants. After 26 days of treatment, blood levels of the pro inflammatory chemical TNF-a fell by a large 34.4%.
- This particular review stated of which lowered inflammation may be responsible for the protective effect of lycopene on the heart. Lycopene can apparently inhibit both inflammatory chemicals in addition to also also inflammatory signalling, possibly by inhibiting the inflammatory master molecule NF-KappaB.
Lycopene is usually excellent at lowering inflammation in addition to also also of which’s why internet retailors are today flogging off lycopene pills left right in addition to also also centre. however what’s important to understand is usually of which lycopene is usually hardly rare. the item is usually distributed widely across nature in addition to also also tomatoes are only the third best food source.
Per 100 grams, watermelon flesh contains 4532ug which is usually roughly 1.5 times as much lycopene as cooked tomatoes with 3041ug. Raw tomatoes contain even less because lycopene concentrations increase when exposed to heat.
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Watermelon is usually also a food of which rarely causes allergies in addition to also also is usually linked to lower inflammation. the item contains plenty of natural citrulline, which converts to arginine from the Centeng in addition to also also subsequently increases nitric oxide, which accelerates the healing of your old acne.
If you want to get This particular potent antioxidant then I’d recommend eating watermelon instead. Several various other foods contain Great amounts of lycopene in addition to also also they include guavas (5204ug), papaya (1828ug), in addition to also also grapefruit (1135ug).
Also remember This particular: as we hinted at earlier, many natural health websites promote lycopene not to enrich your health, however rather to enrich their own bank accounts. Articles you read on lycopene in tomatoes might be accurate when discussing its health benefits, however in reality they’re nothing however extended advertisements.
The truth when the item comes to clearing acne in addition to also also improving health is usually of which the item’s pointless to isolate an individual antioxidant. There are endless different antioxidants like phenols, flavonoids, anthocyanins, in addition to also also catechins across nature, many of which have unique powers to improve your acne.
various other famous antioxidants include resveratrol in red wine, epicatechin-3-gallate in green tea, in addition to also also astaxanthin in salmon, however they’re the tip of the iceberg. To cure acne you need to eat a wide variety of fruits in addition to also also vegetables to pull in thousands of varied compounds.
The only antioxidants you need to specifically target are as follows: micronutrients with additional antioxidant functioning like vitamin C, vitamin A, in addition to also also vitamin E, in addition to also also the major antioxidants which you make yourself such as glutathione in addition to also also superoxide dismutase. Lycopene is usually Great at reducing inflammation however the item’s just another antioxidant in addition to also also the item isn’t “a nutrient which every human being has to get more of”.
Any less documented acne powers?
There’s actually one power of tomatoes which is usually pretty promising: their ability to lower your blood levels of lipid peroxides.
of which’s a type of free radical derived by fat molecules, which are especially bad for acne since vitamin E is usually the main fat soluble antioxidant in your Centeng in addition to also also gets depleted when lipid peroxides are too high. of which’s important because as we discussed in This particular article, vitamin E is usually the single most important acne vitamin.
- This particular 2008 study fed tomato power to several Japanese quail birds in addition to also also collected their blood samples some time later. Serum, muscle, in addition to also also liver levels of malondialdehyde decreased substantially. Malondialdehyde is usually a lipid peroxide in addition to also also the item’s the most widely used measure of overall lipid peroxidation from the Centeng. Blood levels of vitamin E increased too, despite the fact of which tomatoes contain just 1% of the RDA. Clearly less vitamin E was being depleted.
- Jamaican scientists tested the effect of cooked tomato supplementation on antioxidant in addition to also also lipid peroxide levels in humans with type 2 diabetes. Again, malondialdehyde was found to fall substantially on a long term basis. They concluded of which “these findings suggest of which tomato lycopene may have considerable therapeutic potential as an antioxidant”, however the item was actually the entire tomato they were using, so hidden compounds could have been responsible.
- In This particular study the Jamaican scientists returned to the fray to test the effect of cooked tomatoes however This particular time they examined lipid peroxide levels from the short term. The same biomarkers were examined in addition to also also cooked tomatoes were found to lower lipid peroxide levels significantly.
the item’s clear the tomatoes can reduce lipid peroxides well in addition to also also lycopene has been shown to do the same. the item’s likely of which the antioxidants which tomatoes do have fall under the category of fat-soluble antioxidants rather than water-soluble ones; hence they can relieve vitamin E in addition to also also let the item concentrate on strengthening your skin where the item’s needed.
On the negative side, tomatoes are also one of the few vegetables of which contain decent quantities of lectins. Nightshades in general are high in lectins.
A lectin is usually another defensive plant weapon – the item’s a sticky protein of which binds to epithelial cells in your smaller intestine, thus triggering an inflammatory response to remove the item. The problem is usually of which these inflammatory chemicals wreak digestive havoc at the same time.
Why vitamin E is usually the greatest nutrient for clogged skin pores
Alongside gluten, lectins (specifically wheat germ agglutinin) is usually one reason why wheat causes such bloating, abdominal pain, in addition to also also poor digestion. This particular can lead to acne by further increasing food allergies, impairing digestion of acne nutrients like magnesium, in addition to also also causing leaky gut syndrome.
Lectins may be another reason why many get inflammatory reactions in addition to also also acne by tomatoes. The quantity of lectins is usually not enormous, however if you’re following any type of gut healing protocol, the type of protocol we discuss in Annihilate Your Acne, then the item’s smart to keep your tomato intake low.
Conclusion
the item’s clear of which tomatoes are a classic acne food where your individual bodily circumstances are critical. Many get raging allergies in addition to also also acne by tomatoes, possibly due to its natural nightshade alkaloids like tomatine, however studies find of which some people enjoy lower inflammation.
I would likely not give tomatoes a strong endorsement for acne patients in any circumstances. Their ability to lower lipid peroxides is usually promising, however elsewhere they’re low on acne nutrients in addition to also also antioxidants in addition to also also their standout compound, lycopene, can be found in watermelons.
Tomatoes don’t have any standout acne powers like various other foods we’ve discussed on This particular website. Watermelons are excellent for promoting wound healing, pomegranates lower stress levels, garlic boosts glutathione production, in addition to also also cinnamon is usually excellent for lowering blood sugar.
If you love the taste in addition to also also versatility in cooking, in addition to also also your experiences tell you of which you can digest them without any inflammation in addition to also also discomfort, then you can keep eating tomatoes as one smaller component of a wider acne-friendly diet.
If, on the various other hand, you notice joint pain, fatigue in addition to also also weak muscles after eating tomatoes regularly, then they are contributing to your acne in addition to also also the item’s a smart idea to get your acne nutrition by elsewhere.
Organic tomatoes are superior
If you do eat tomatoes however, then to push your acne clearing nutrition to the absolute maximum possible the item’s a great idea to buy the organic type. Why? There’s a never-ending debate from the nutritional world right today about whether organic foods are more nutritious. In 2014, a massive review became available by the British Journal of Nutrition showing of which organic foods are far higher in vitamin C in addition to also also antioxidants however in 2012 another review by Stanford stated of which buying organic foods is usually a waste of money.
What’s very clear though, is usually of which tomatoes are one food where growing them organically does make a big difference. Witness This particular impressive study by two years ago.
Scientists compared two batches of Brazilian tomatoes, one which was grown in organic fields in addition to also also one grown conventionally using artificial nitrate based fertilisers in addition to also also pesticides. Their quantities of key nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin E, lycopene in addition to also also polyphenol antioxidants were examined. The tomatoes were all grown in nearby farmyard plots in Brazil, which allowed for a more accurate comparison of the tomatoes since both varieties were grown in similar soil in addition to also also climatic conditions.
The results were very impressive: organic tomatoes contained 139% more phenolic compounds, 55% more vitamin C in addition to also also 70% more yellow flavonoids in addition to also also anthocyanins (a class of antioxidants). The British NHS laughed off these findings in addition to also also claimed of which the extra antioxidants are not proven to translate into improvements in human health, in addition to also also the item needs to be tested on human subjects etc…
…however they were being overly cautious, because dietary antioxidants are proven to be healthy for humans in addition to also also their acne. The more the better, so if you are eating tomatoes for whatever reason, buy the organic versions.
the item’s a similar story with ketchup, as organic brands were found in a separate study to contain 57% more lycopene than conventional brands. Another reason to buy organic tomatoes is usually the fact of which tomatoes are one of the worst foods for pesticide contamination. According to whatsonmyfood.com, USDA agrochemical detection programs have detected the following 35 pesticides in addition to also also herbicides on tomatoes:
- 5 cancerous carcinogens.
- 14 Hormone disruptors.
- 6 Neurotoxins.
- 3 Developmental or reproductive toxins.
of which count includes known inflammatory pesticides like atrazine. If you want to eat a delicious pizza for a treat then you’d better buy some organic passata in addition to also also make the item yourself. As for acne, I would likely estimate by all the studies I’ve reviewed of which roughly half of pesticides in addition to also also herbicides cause either serious inflammation from the Centeng or depletion of important antioxidants such as glutathione.
Speaking of toxic chemicals, the item’s also critical to avoid canned tomatoes. Why? For one big reason: the lining around the inside of the can is usually full of BPA, a monstrosity of an acne chemical which is usually linked to chronic inflammation. Tomatoes are highly acidic in addition to also also This particular encourages massive leaching of the BPA into the food, which later enters your stomach.
the item’s also a little known fact of which cooked tomatoes are in fact healthier than raw ones. In many foods, like honey, the delicate antioxidants get destroyed when heated, however with tomatoes of which’s not the case. This particular study cooked tomatoes at 88C in addition to also also found of which after 2, 15, in addition to also also 30 minutes…
- The content of trans-lycopene increased by 54 percent, 171 percent in addition to also also 164 percent respectively.
- The content of cis-lycopene, the best absorbed form by the human Centeng, rose by 6, 17 in addition to also also 35 percent respectively.
- The overall antioxidant content increased by 28, 34 in addition to also also 62 percent, respectively.
- The only downside was of which the vitamin C levels dropped substantially. There was no change in phenolic antioxidants or flavonoids.
Cooked tomatoes also get a slightly higher ORAC score than raw ones; 406 against 367. The longer you cook tomatoes the healthier they seem to become, so if you actually love tomatoes, you’d do well to include them in any homemade meat sauces, soups, stews or various other acne-friendly cooked recipes.
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