Association between tomato consumption and blood pressure in an older population at high cardiovascular risk: observational analysis of PREDIMED trial

So ask your doctor what you should do with tomatoes. EXACT PROTOCOL NEEDED!

Unsalted tomato juice may help lower heart disease risk

The latest here:

Association between tomato consumption and blood pressure in an older population at high cardiovascular risk: observational analysis of PREDIMED trial

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European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, zwad363, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurjpc/zwad363

Published:

24 November 2023

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Abstract

Aims

Clinical studies have produced conflicting evidence on the effects of the consumption of tomatoes on blood pressure, and there are limited data from epidemiologic studies. This study assesses whether tomato consumption (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is associated with Systolic (SBP) and Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP), and the risk of hypertension in a prospective 3-year longitudinal study in older adults at high cardiovascular risk.

Methods

The present study was carried out within the PREDIMED (Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea) trial involving 7,056 (82.5% hypertensive) participants. The consumption of tomato (g/d) was measured using a validated Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) and categorized into 4 groups: lowest (<44 g), intermediate (44-82 g), upper-intermediate (82 -110 g), and highest (>110 g). Multilevel linear mixed models examined blood pressure and tomato consumption association. Cox proportional-hazards models analyzed hypertension risk in 1,097 non-hypertensive participants, studying risk reductions versus the lowest tomato consumers.

Results

An inverse association between tomato consumption and diastolic blood pressure was observed between the intermediate group β = -0.65 mmHg [95% CI:-1.20, -0.10] and the lowest consumption group. A significant inverse association was observed for blood pressure in grade 1 hypertension participants in the intermediate tomato consumption group. The risk of hypertension decreased with consumption of >110 g/d tomato (highest vs lowest consumption; HR, 0.64 [95% CI, 0.51–0.89]).

Conclusions

Tomato consumption, including tomato-based products, is beneficial in preventing and managing hypertension. Higher tomato intake reduces hypertension risk by 36%, and moderate consumption lowers blood pressure, especially in grade 1 hypertension.

Graphical Abstract

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lycopene, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, observational study, Mediterranean diet, PREDIMED

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Full Research Paper

8 ordinary foods that may help you live longer

Useless, no amounts given. If your doctor gives you this laugh in their face and ask for EXACT amounts. 

8 ordinary foods that may help you live longer 

Everybody knows that it's important to pay attention to what you eat. In this article, you will find out which everyday products are the best longevity helpers.

#1

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Remember: dark chocolate can benefit your health only if you consume it in moderation. One square a day is usually enough.

#2

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Top fish for you to eat regularly are herring, mackerel, salmon, anchovies and sardines. All the fish considered fatty are extremely beneficial to health.

#3

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Garlic is very nutritious but low in calories. It contains compounds with amazing medicinal properties.

#4

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The healthiest nuts are peanuts, almonds, pistachios and cashews. Eat nuts in moderation, as they contain a lot of calories.

#5

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Berries also help lower cholesterol level and are good for your skin.

#6

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They're also full of fiber, which makes them a perfect option for a plant-based diet.

(But what about magic mushrooms?)

#7

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According to the scientists, green tea also improves brain function, physical performance and increases fat burning. It also lowers the risk of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

#8

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Lycopene can protect you from prostate cancer, UV skin damage and​ cardiovascular disease. Note that cooked tomatoes contain 10 times more lycopene than raw tomatoes

10 superfoods to boost a healthy diet

Still pretty much totally useless. NO protocols, NO daily amounts. But it does wonders for conscience laundering making Harvard feel like they are helping the planet.

10 superfoods to boost a healthy diet

Posted August 29, 2018, 10:30 am

Katherine D. McManus, MS, RD, LDN
Contributor

No single food — not even a superfood — can offer all the nutrition, health benefits, and energy we need to nourish ourselves. The 2015–2020 US Dietary Guidelines recommend healthy eating patterns, “combining healthy choices from across all food groups — while paying attention to calorie limits.”
Over the years, research has shown that healthy dietary patterns can reduce risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. Dietary patterns such as the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet and the Mediterranean diet, which are mostly plant-based, have demonstrated significant health benefits and reduction of chronic disease.
However, there are a few foods that can be singled out for special recognition. These “superfoods” offer some very important nutrients that can power-pack your meals and snacks, and further enhance a healthy eating pattern.

Superfoods list

Berries. High in fiber, berries are naturally sweet, and their rich colors mean they are high in antioxidants and disease-fighting nutrients.
How to include them: When berries are not in season, it is just as healthy to buy them frozen. Add to yogurt, cereals, and smoothies, or eat plain for a snack.
Fish. Fish can be a good source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which help prevent heart disease.
How to include it: Buy fresh, frozen, or canned fish. Fish with the highest omega-3 content are salmon, tuna steaks, mackerel, herring, trout, anchovies, and sardines.
Leafy greens. Dark, leafy greens are a good source of vitamin A, vitamin C, and calcium, as well as several phytochemicals (chemicals made by plants that have a positive effect on your health). They also add fiber into the diet.
How to include them: Try varieties such as spinach, swiss chard, kale, collard greens, or mustard greens. Throw them into salads or sauté them in a little olive oil. You can also add greens to soups and stews.
Nuts. Hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, pecans — nuts are a good source of plant protein. They also contain monounsaturated fats, which may be a factor in reducing the risk of heart disease.
How to include them: Add a handful to oatmeal or yogurt, or have as a snack. But remember they are calorically dense, so limit to a small handful. Try the various types of nut butters such as peanut (technically a legume), almond, or cashew. Nuts are also a great accompaniment to cooked veggies or salads.
Olive oil. Olive oil is a good source of vitamin E, polyphenols, and monounsaturated fatty acids, all which help reduce the risk of heart disease.
How to include it: Use in place of butter or margarine in pasta or rice dishes. Drizzle over vegetables, use as a dressing, or when sautéing.
Whole grains. A good source of both soluble and insoluble fiber, whole grains also contain several B vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. They have been shown to lower cholesterol and protect against heart disease and diabetes.
How to include them: Try having a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. Substitute bulgur, quinoa, wheat berries, or brown rice for your usual baked potato. When buying breads at the supermarket, look to see that the first ingredient is “100% whole wheat flour.”
Yogurt. A good source of calcium and protein, yogurt also contains live cultures called probiotics. These “good bacteria” can protect the body from other, more harmful bacteria.
How to include it: Try eating more yogurt, but watch out for fruited or flavored yogurts, which contain a lot of added sugar. Buy plain yogurt and add your own fruit. Look for yogurts that have “live active cultures” such as Lactobacillus, L. acidophilus, L. bulgaricus, and S. thermophilus. You can use yogurt in place of mayonnaise or sour cream in dips or sauces.
Cruciferous vegetables. These include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, radishes, and turnips. They are an excellent source of fiber, vitamins, and phytochemicals including indoles, thiocyanates, and nitriles, which may prevent against some types of cancer.
How to include them: Steam or stir-fry, adding healthy oils and herbs and seasonings for flavor. Try adding a frozen cruciferous vegetable medley to soups, casseroles, and pasta dishes.
Legumes. This broad category includes kidney, black, red, and garbanzo beans, as well as soybeans and peas. Legumes are an excellent source of fiber, folate, and plant-based protein. Studies show they can help reduce the risk of heart disease.
How to include them: Add to salads, soups, and casseroles. Make a chili or a bean- based spread such as hummus.
Tomatoes. These are high in vitamin C and lycopene, which has been shown to reduce the risk of prostate cancer.
How to include them: Try tomatoes in a salad or as a tomato sauce over your pasta. You can also put them in stews, soups, or chili. Lycopene becomes more available for your body to use when tomatoes are prepared and heated in a healthy fat such as olive oil.

Can Tomatoes Harm Your Digestive System After 50?

I don't have time to listen to this doctor bloviate and with no transcript I won't do it.
I have written  17 posts on tomatoes, mostly positive. Go ask your doctor. Your doctor should know the exact quantity, raw or cooked tomatoes needed per bodyweight and sex to have the proper circulation amount of lycopene in your body for the best benefits. Not knowing that is pure incompetence. Not even collaborating with a researcher on that is even worse incompetence of the stroke department head. The rot may go all the way to the president and the board of directors. So replace them all.

Can Tomatoes Harm Your Digestive System After 50?

Dr. Gundry reveals how tomatoes and other so-called “health foods” may rob you of your energy, ruin your digestive system, and fatten your waistline.

Tomato and lycopene supplementation and cardiovascular risk factors: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Why the fuck was a meta-analysis needed? What was needed was exact amounts to consume to provide benefits. This absolute stupidity is because we have NO stroke strategy to solve problems rather than just describe them. This is totally fucking useless.  And your mentors and senior researchers don't know how to run research!

Tomato and lycopene supplementation and cardiovascular risk factors: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Atherosclerosis, 01/19/2017

Cheng HM, et al. – This study suggests a positive influence of tomato products and lycopene supplementation on blood lipids, blood pressure and endothelial function. These outcomes support the development of promising individualised nutritional strategies involving tomatoes to tackle cardiovascular diseases (CVD).

Methods

• Researchers searched 3 databases including Medline, Web of science, and Scopus from inception to August 2016.
• Inclusion criteria were: intervention randomised controlled trials reporting effects of tomato products and lycopene supplementation on CV risk factors among adult subjects >18 years of age.
• The outcomes of interest included blood lipids (total-, HDL-, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, oxidised-LDL), endothelial function (flow-mediated dilation (FMD), pulse wave velocity (PWV)) and blood pressure (BP) inflammatory factors (CRP, IL-6) and adhesion molecules (ICAM-1).
• They used random-effects models to determine the pooled effect sizes.

Results

• Data showed that out of 1189 publications identified, 21 fulfilled inclusion criteria and were meta-analysed.
• Overall, findings demonstrated that interventions supplementing tomato were associated with significant reductions in LDL-cholesterol (-0.22 mmol/L; p = 0.006), IL-6 (standardised mean difference -0.25; p = 0.03), and improvements in FMD (2.53%; p = 0.01); while lycopene supplementation reduced Systolic-BP (-5.66 mmHg; p = 0.002).
• Additionally, it was noted that no other outcome was significantly affected by these interventions.

Go to PubMed Go to Abstract Print Article Summary Cat 2 CME Report

Tomato and lycopene supplementation and cardiovascular risk factors: A systematic review and meta-analysis

What a waste. We have known for years that lycopene and tomatoes are good for you. What we need is amounts per body weights to keep some amount of lycopene circulating in the bloodstream. Have you no previous experience reading research and determining the next steps? More blithering idiots!

Lycopene in tomatoes reduces stroke risk by more than 50%  July 2013 

Tomato Pill’ Improves Blood Vessel Function  June 2014 

Health effects of lycopene, a carotenoid found mainly from tomato products Aug. 2016 

Serum lycopene decreases the risk of stroke in men: A population-based follow-up study.  Oct. 2012

https://www.mdlinx.com/internal-medicine/medical-news-article/2017/01/19/tomato-lycopene-intervention-cardiovascular-risk-factors/7012407/?

Atherosclerosis, 01/19/2017

Cheng HM, et al. – This study suggests a positive influence of tomato products and lycopene supplementation on blood lipids, blood pressure and endothelial function. These outcomes support the development of promising individualised nutritional strategies involving tomatoes to tackle cardiovascular diseases (CVD).

Methods

• Researchers searched 3 databases including Medline, Web of science, and Scopus from inception to August 2016.
• Inclusion criteria were: intervention randomised controlled trials reporting effects of tomato products and lycopene supplementation on CV risk factors among adult subjects >18 years of age.
• The outcomes of interest included blood lipids (total-, HDL-, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, oxidised-LDL), endothelial function (flow-mediated dilation (FMD), pulse wave velocity (PWV)) and blood pressure (BP) inflammatory factors (CRP, IL-6) and adhesion molecules (ICAM-1).
• They used random-effects models to determine the pooled effect sizes.

Results

• Data showed that out of 1189 publications identified, 21 fulfilled inclusion criteria and were meta-analysed.
• Overall, findings demonstrated that interventions supplementing tomato were associated with significant reductions in LDL-cholesterol (-0.22 mmol/L; p = 0.006), IL-6 (standardised mean difference -0.25; p = 0.03), and improvements in FMD (2.53%; p = 0.01); while lycopene supplementation reduced Systolic-BP (-5.66 mmHg; p = 0.002).
• Additionally, it was noted that no other outcome was significantly affected by these interventions.

Go to Abstract Print Article Summary Cat 2 CME Report

Want to Reduce Your Risk of Having a Stroke? Eat These 8 Foods

This is pretty much fucking worthless, guidelines, not protocols. No links to research. I added my posts. I bet you are getting nothing better from your doctor and stroke hospital.
http://www.cheatsheet.com/health-fitness/want-to-reduce-your-stroke-risk-eat-these-foods.html/?
There are two approaches to diet most people use when figuring out how to reduce their stroke risk: focusing on what foods to eliminate and figuring out which ones to eat in abundance. Many probably go with the former. Since the condition is responsible for one out of every 20 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it’s no wonder avoidance is so appealing. Though this is a completely normal way to go about building a better diet, it can soon leave you feeling as though there’s hardly anything you can eat.

Because no one should subsist on a diet of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and undressed lettuce, we think it might be more helpful to highlight what foods you should add to your regular rotation to reduce your risk. You’ll see some pretty expected choices, but others might surprise you. The next time you stock up on groceries, make sure these foods are on your list.

1. Tomatoes

Lycopene in tomatoes reduces stroke risk by more than 50%

Tomatoes heated for just 30 minutes boost the level of the cancer fighting antioxidant, lycopene by 62-percent.   

‘Tomato Pill’ Improves Blood Vessel Function

 

 

2. Whole grains

Each 28-gram serving of whole grains per day was associated with a 5% reduction in overall death risk and a 9% reduction in death from cardiovascular causes,

3. Beans and legumes

4. Eggs

eating one egg per day may reduce the risk of stroke by as much as 12%

5. Red wine

All the great things studies claim drinking red wine can do:

Ask your doctor if one glass of red wine a day can provide all these benefits

1. Lower the risk of breast cancer.
2. Raise levels of good HDL cholesterol.
3. Be equivalent to an hour of exercise.
3. Give you better sleep quality.
4. Prevent tooth decay.
5. Reduce plaque in your arteries.
6. Make you have fewer colds.
7. Help you lose weight.
8. Lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, and dementia.
9. Give you "gorgeous skin."
10. Aid digestion.
11. Enhance exercise performance.
12. Control Type 2 Diabetes.
13. Help you "chill out."
14. Reduce risk of depression.
15. Give you a longer life.
16. Increase diversity of bacteria in your gut.
17. Fight off cavities.
18. Stop bug bites.

19. Prevent memory loss.

 

Harvard Health Publications suggests opting for one serving of an alcoholic beverage per day to see these benefits.

6. Citrus fruits

7. Leafy greens

8. Bananas

Why eat three bananas a day?    April 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

Health effects of lycopene, a carotenoid found mainly from tomato products

I eat lots of tomatoes for this reason, notice that heat processed tomatoes have more available lycopene.
For dinner tonight I had tomato pie and a green machine smoothie from the Tomato Pie Cafe of Harrisburg, PA. Pretty tasty.

Tomato pie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lycopene in tomatoes reduces stroke risk by more than 50%

Tomatoes heated for just 30 minutes boost the level of the cancer fighting antioxidant, lycopene by 62-percent.  

http://www.uef.fi/en/web/nutritionepidemiologists/lycopene-and-heart-diseases
We are a group of nutrition researchers from the University of Eastern Finland (UEF), Kuopio Campus. The main field of our research is epidemiological research, but we also do clinical trials.
With approximately 14 000 students and 3000 members of staff, the University of Eastern Finland is one of the largest universities in Finland. Its four faculties offer teaching in more than 100 major subjects.
The UEF is an international, research-intensive university and has campuses in Joensuu, Kuopio and Savonlinna. The campus of Kuopio specializes in health sciences and it is also the only place in Finland where one can study clinical nutrition and become a certified clinical nutritionist.
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lycopene is one of the major carotenoids in the Western diet and is probably one of the protective factors in the vegetable rich diet. It's a red color pigment and in contrast to most other carotenoids which are widely distributed among great variety of fruits and vegetables, the intake of lycopene comes predominantly from tomatoes and tomato products. Interest in lycopene is growing rapidly following the recent publication of epidemiologic studies which associated high circulating lycopene concentration with reductions in cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Lycopene has unique structural and chemical features that may contribute to its specific biological properties. Antioxidant properties of lycopene are quite resistant to heat and cooking and bioavailability of lycopene in processed tomato products is higher than in unprocessed fresh tomatoes.
Lycopene is an antioxidant carotenoid without provitamin A activity and has been shown to be more potent antioxidant than other common dietary carotenoids, alfa- or beta-carotene. The oxidation protecting effects of lycopene and tomatoes have been shown in both human and animal studies. A decreased oxidative modification of LDL may be one of the mechanisms by which lycopene could reduce the risk of CVD and atherosclerotic progression.

Our results and research interests

The purposes of our previous works have been to study the role of blood levels of lycopene with regard to cardiovascular health in women and men living in eastern Finland. We first examined the association between the plasma concentration of lycopene and the intima-media thickness of common carotid artery wall (CCA-IMT) in a cross-sectional analysis of Antioxidant Supplementation in the Atherosclerosis Prevention (ASAP) Study in 520 high risk men and women. Low plasma levels (lower than the median) of lycopene were associated with an 18% increased intima-media thickness in men, compared with men whose plasma levels of lycopene were higher. In women, the difference was not significant. Next we examined the association between serum levels of lycopene and CCA-IMT in 1028 middle-aged men in the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor (KIHD) Study. We found that in men with low serum levels of lycopene (lowest quarter) the adjusted CCA-IMT had a significant increment in both mean CCA-IMT and maximal CCA-IMT as compared with the other men. In the KIHD study we examined the role of serum levels of lycopene with regard to the risk of acute coronary events and ischemic strokes. The subjects were 725 middle-aged men free of coronary heart disease and stroke at the study baseline. We found that men with a low serum level of lycopene (the lowest quarter) had an over three-fold risk of an acute coronary event or stroke as compared with others.
In conclusion, these findings support the convention that increased lycopene intake may have a protective role in prevention of CVD and contribute to cardiovascular health. Hence, circulating levels of lycopene, a biomarker of tomato-rich food, may play a role in early stages of atherogenesis and have clinical and public health relevance.

 

 

 

 

 

More information about our studies: tiina.rissanen at uef.fi

Sari Voutilainen et al. Carotenoids and cardiovascular health. Am J Clin Nutr 2006;83:1265-71.
Rissanen TH. Association of lycopene and dietary intake of fruits, berries and vegetables with atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. Epidemiologic Evidence. Doctoral dissertation. 2003. Kuopio University Publications D. Medical Sciences 304. 72 p.
Rissanen T, Voutilainen S, Nyyssönen K, Salonen JT. Lycopene, atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Exp Biol Med, 2002;227:900-907.
Rissanen T, Voutilainen S, Nyyssönen K, Salonen R, Kaplan GA, Salonen JT. Serum lycopene level and carotid atherosclerosis: the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor (KIHD) Study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2003;77:133-138.
Rissanen T, Voutilainen S, Nyyssönen K, Salonen R, Salonen JT. Low plasma lycopene concentration is associated with increased intima-media thickness of the carotid artery wall. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology 2000;20:2677-2681.
Rissanen T, Voutilainen S, Nyyssönen K, Lakka TA, Salonen R, Kaplan GA, Salonen JT. Low serum lycopene is associated with excess risk of acute coronary events and stroke: The Kuopio Ischaemic Risk Factor Study. British Journal of Nutrition 2001;85:749-754.

Red wine molecule may slow Alzheimer's symptoms, study finds

Just what the fuck is your doctors protocol to prevent dementia/Alzheimers? You have a decent chance of getting it. Does your doctor even know about this research? Or is your doctor waiting until resveratrol tomatoes come along so alcohol doesn't have to be prescribed? That answer tells you if you should fire that doctor or not.

Your chances of getting dementia.

1. A documented 33% dementia chance post-stroke from an Australian study?   May 2012.

2. Then this study came out and seems to have a range from 17-66%. December 2013.

3. A 20% chance in this research.   July 2013.

4. Dementia Risk Doubled in Patients Following Stroke September 2018 

5. Parkinson’s Disease May Have Link to Stroke March 2017

 Red wine molecule may slow Alzheimer's symptoms, study finds

A molecule found in red wine may be the key to slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s, new findings presented Wednesday suggest.
Resveratrol, a compound found in red wine, red grapes, raspberries, and chocolate, appears to repair “leaky” blood-brain barriers, which allow blood from the body to enter the brain. This repair slowed the advancement of cognitive problems in Alzheimer’s patients, according to a study from Georgetown University Medical Center.
The brains of patients with Alzheimer’s are often further damaged by nervous tissue inflammation, which is associated with neuron degradation and cognitive decline. This inflammation is partially caused by the secretion of harmful immune molecules from the body into the brain through a permeable blood-brain barrier.

More on this...

• Smell and eye tests may be next step in diagnosing Alzheimer's

• Watch for behavior changes for clues of dementia onset

• Wine at dinner safe, possibly beneficial in diabetes

Study authors found that resveratrol appears to restore the integrity of the blood-brain barrier, keeping the harmful immune molecules out of the brain.
“These findings suggest that resveratrol imposes a kind of crowd control at the border of the brain. The agent seems to shut out unwanted immune molecules that can exacerbate brain inflammation and kill neurons,” study author Dr. Charbel Moussa, scientific and clinical research director of the Georgetown Medical Center Translational Neurotherapeutics Program, said in the news release. “These are very exciting findings because it shows that resveratrol engages the brain in a measurable way, and that the immune response to Alzheimer’s disease comes, in part, from outside the brain.”
The results, presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Toronto,  built off of a study from Georgetown Medical Center on resveratrol in individuals with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s, published last year in Neurology.
The new aspects of the study examined the cerebrospinal fluid of 38 individuals with Alzheimer’s. Half of the participants were given a placebo, and the other half were treated daily with resveratrol for a year. According to researchers, this amount of resveratrol equated to the amount found in approximately 1,000 bottles of red wine. (Is that a daily dose of 1000 bottles of wine?)
Researchers saw a 50 percent reduction in the levels of a molecule known as matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in the cerebrospinal fluid. High levels of MMP-9 result in the breakdown of the blood-brain barrier and the leakage of harmful immune molecules through it. Low levels of MMP-9, researchers assert, maintain the barrier more effectively.
“These new findings are exciting because they increase our understanding of how resveratrol may be clinically beneficial to individuals with Alzheimer’s disease,” lead researcher R. Scott Turner, director of Georgetown Medical Center’s Memory Disorders Program and co-director of the Translational Neurotherapeutics Program, said in the news release. “In particular, they point to the important role of inflammation in the disease, and the potent anti-inflammatory effects of resveratrol.”
Researchers noted that resveratrol should be further tested in clinical settings; however, they do not see the molecule itself becoming a complete treatment for Alzheimer’s. Instead, Turner said, researchers hope to combine the molecule with a separate agent that can target specific Alzheimer’s-causing proteins in the brain.
 

My supplement and diet regime

Do not follow this. There is no clinical proof that any of this works. There is initial research that I refer to but since we have NO leadership and NO strategy we will never find out what we should be eating post-stroke. Right now there is no way to easily measure if the endpoints of all this are working as expected.

1. chocolate - 80%+ cocoa, 2 pieces

CV prevention with dark chocolate 

2. beets, I do pickled because I can't stand cooked beets, they taste like my Moms. 4-5 oz.

New research suggests beets could help increase blood flow to the brain .

Beet Juice Beats Hypertension

 

Beet Juice Lowers Blood Pressure

3. tomatoes - fresh, not cooked

Lycopene in tomatoes reduces stroke risk by more than 50%

4. olive oil, used with balsamic vinegar for bread dipping.

Research proves that vegetables fried with olive oil have more healthy properties than boiled ones

Extravirgin olive oil consumption reduces risk of atrial fibrillation

To improve memory and thinking skills, try the Mediterranean diet with added olive oil and nuts

5 Healthy Eating Habits to Steal From Europeans

Olive oil cuts risk of stroke by 41 percent

5. Cranberry/pomegranate juice

Pomegranate juice consumption for 3 years by patients with carotid artery stenosis reduces common carotid intima-media thickness, blood pressure and LDL oxidation 

Cranberry juice consumption may protect against cardiovascular disease

Drinking low-calorie cranberry juice may help lower risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke

6. greek yogurt - probiotics

Effect of Probiotics on Blood Pressure

Consumption of Fermented Milk Product With Probiotic Modulates Brain Activity

7. coffee - many cups

Moderate coffee drinking may be linked to reduced risk of death

Coffee associated with colon cancer survival

Good News: Coffee Could Be Cleaning Out Your Arteries.

Consuming one cup of coffee per day can decrease stroke risk by up to 20%.

 Does More Coffee Mean Less Arterial Plaque? -Arterial calcium lowest in healthy Korean adults with moderate-to-heavy coffee habits.

 

Coffee associated with colon cancer survival

How A Cup Of Coffee May Help People Manage Stress, Avoid Depression And Memory Loss

Coffee May Lower Your Risk of Dementia 

How coffee protects against Parkinson’s

Usual dose of caffeine has a positive effect on somatosensory related postural stability in hemiparetic stroke patients

Drinking Coffee Can Lower Alzheimer's Risk By 20%, All It Takes Is 3 Cups A Day

8. coconut oil, added to chai and for frying eggs, for grilled cheese sandwiches instead of margarine.

Evidence-Based Medicinal Properties of Coconut Oil - brain boosting  

9. Aged garlic extract, 2400mg day

New study shows aged garlic extract can reduce dangerous plaque buildup in arteries

10. Fish oil - Omega-3

Fish Oil Might Guard Against Loss of Brain Cells

Omega 3 fatty acid for the prevention of cognitive decline and dementia

11. tocotrienol

Palm tocotrienols can prevent brain cell death after stroke

12. almonds

New research shows almonds reduce the risk of heart disease

13. oatmeal

10 Foods to Calm Inflammation

14. watermelon, approximately 1 pound a day since I couldn't find juice.

Watermelon juice reverses hardening of the arteries  

15. Red wine

Can Wine Protect You From Having a Stroke?

16. Beer

The Close Ties Between Exercise and Beer

Women with moderate beer consumption run lower risk of heart attack

Guinness could really be good for you

If you're over 60, drink up: Alcohol associated with better memory

Beer compound could help fend off Alzheimer’s - hops

Dark beer is good for you, in moderation

I'm obviously not doing this very well since I'm still 35 lbs. above my ideal weight. I won't stop my dinners out and wine parties because the social connections are needed.

Scientists Produce Beneficial Natural Compounds In Tomato - Industrial Scale Up Potential, resveratrol and Genistein

This way you might be able to actually get to the 400 bottles of wine needed or the 1000 bottles.

But socially, eating tomatoes does not have quite the same effect as drinking red wine. You don't get the needed challenges to your balance.

Scientists Produce Beneficial Natural Compounds In Tomato - Industrial Scale Up Potential, resveratrol and Genistein

Given the opportunity to drink fifty bottles of wine or eat one tomato, which would you choose?
Scientists at the John Innes Centre have found a way to produce industrial quantities of useful natural compounds efficiently, by growing them in tomatoes.
The compounds are phenylpropanoids like Resveratrol, the compound found in wine which has been reported to extend lifespan in animal studies, and Genistein, the compound found in soybean which has been suggested to play a role in prevention of steroid-hormone related cancers, particularly breast cancer.
As a result of the research led by Dr Yang Zhang and Dr Eugenio Butelli working in Professor Cathie Martin’s lab at the John Innes Centre, one tomato can produce the same quantity of Resveratrol as exists in 50 bottles of red wine. One tomato has also produced the amount of Genistein found in 2.5kg of tofu.
Drs Zhang and Butelli have been studying the effect of a protein called AtMYB12 which is found in Arabidopsis thaliana, a plant found in most UK gardens and used as a model plant in scientific investigation.
The protein AtMYB12 activates a broad set of genes involved in metabolic pathways responsible for producing natural compounds of use to the plant. The protein acts a bit like a tap to increase or reduce the production of natural compounds depending on how much of the protein is present.
What was interesting about the effect of introducing this protein into a tomato plant was how it acted to both increase the capacity of the plant to produce natural compounds (by activating phenylpropanoid production) and to influence the amount of energy and carbon the plant dedicated to producing these natural compounds. In response to the influence of the atmyb12 protein, tomato plants began to create more phenylpropanoids and flavanoids and to devote more of energy to doing this in fruit.
Introducing both AtMYB12 and genes from plants encoding enzymes specific for making Resveratrol in grape and Genistein in legumes, resulted in tomatoes that could produce as much as 80mg of novel compound per gram of dry weight – demonstrating that industrial scale up is possible.
Tomatoes are a high yielding crop - producing up to 500 tonnes per hectare in countries delivering the highest yields (FAOSTAT 2013) and require relatively few inputs, therefore production of valuable compounds like Resveratrol or Genistein in tomatoes could be a more economical way of producing them than relying on artificial synthesis in a lab or extracting them in tiny quantities from traditional plant sources (e.g., grapes, soybeans, etc.). The tomatoes can be harvested and juiced and the valuable compounds can be extracted from the juice. The tomatoes themselves could potentially become the source of increased nutritional or medicinal benefit.
Professor Cathie Martin said:
"Our study provides a general tool for producing valuable phenylpropanoid compounds on an industrial scale in plants, and potentially production of other products derived from aromatic amino acids. Our work will be of interest to different research areas including fundamental research on plants, plant/microbe engineering, medicinal plant natural products, as well as diet and health research.”
Dr. Yang Zhang, said:
"Medicinal plants with high value are often difficult to grow and manage, and need very long cultivation times to produce the desired compounds. Our research provides a fantastic platform to quickly produce these valuable medicinal compounds in tomatoes. Target compounds could be purified directly from tomato juice. We believe our design idea could also be applied to other compounds such as terpenoids and alkaloids, which are the major groups of medicinal compounds from plants.”
This research was strategically funded by the BBSRC, the EU ATHENA collaborative project, the Major State Basic Research Development Program (973 Program) of China, the John Innes Foundation, and the DBT-CREST Fellowship.

Meals for a mighty memory

Our medical world should chime in here and be telling us specifically what we should be eating and how much. Failure at a grand scale. Since nothing specific is mentioned you are completely on your own and will have to blindly take your chances on how to prevent dementia. Once again protocols are required and are not to be found anywhere. FUCKING FAILURES.
Even if this is just a proposed diet protocol I would expect our medical teams to at least DO SOMETHING. Not just sit on their asses once again.
 http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2015/10/11/meals-for-a-mighty-memory/
The quality of what we gobble can make the difference between groping blindly under a dim bulb, and swaggering like a boss under a blindingly-bright chandelier. To learn which foods are best for boosting memory and other brain functions, train your brain to look in the mirror and understand the following firm facts about itself:

• Brains weigh only 2% of our total body weight, but consume more than 20% of our caloric intake. Half of that energy goes toward bioelectrical messages our brains send spiraling through neurons and throughout the body. So if you want a shipshape brain, EAT!
• Our brains are made up of 60% fat – and failure to maintain that percentage can contribute to Alzheimer’s and dementia. Your diet should consist of foods rich in (healthy) fats containing the essential omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, along with nonessential fatty acids.
• The brain needs constant and heavy blood flow in order to receive oxygen and keep up with the heavy metabolic demands of the neurons. Approximately 20% of the blood flowing from the heart is pumped to the brain. Foods that promote blood vessel dilation are ideal.

Depending on who you talk to (and there are lots of blabbering experts out there), brain ‘superfood’ can be anything from egg yolk to coffee. Brain food recommendations can be bewilderingly broad and varied, but bearing the above factoids in, err, ‘mind’, we present the following list of the most frequently-cited memory-boosting foods:
Oily fish

Nuts

Berries and cherries

Dark green and leafy vegetables
.
Dark chocolate

Tomatoes

Avocados

Shrimp
Details at link, but they are pretty worthless.

Whole food versus supplement: Comparing the clinical evidence of tomato intake and lycopene supplementation on cardiovascular risk factors

Lycopene is very important to us in stroke risk reduction even if your doctor hasn't added it to your non-existant stroke diet protocol.

Lycopene in tomatoes reduces stroke risk by more than 50%

http://www.mdlinx.com/internal-medicine/medical-news-article/2014/09/29/cardiovascular-risk-factors/5562892/?

Advances in Nutrition: An International Review Journal, 09/29/2014 BurtonFreeman BM, et al. –

In this study, authors want to compare the clinical evidence of tomato intake and lycopene supplementation on cardiovascular risk factors. With the exception of blood pressure management where lycopene supplementation was favored, tomato intake provided more favorable results on cardiovascular risk endpoints than did lycopene supplementation. Indeed, future research that is well designed, clinically focused, mechanistically revealing, and relevant to human intake will undoubtedly add to the growing body of knowledge unveiling the promise of tomatoes and/or lycopene supplementation as an integral component of a heart–healthy diet.

• Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality in the United States and worldwide.
• A link between diet and CVD is well established, with dietary modification a foundational component of CVD prevention and management.
• With the discovery of bioactive components beyond the essential nutrients of foods, a new era of nutritional, medical, botanical, physiologic, and analytical sciences has unfolded.
• The ability to identify, isolate, purify, and deliver single components has expanded the dietary supplement business and health opportunity for consumers.
• Lycopene is an example of a food component that has attracted attention from scientists as well as food, agriculture, and dietary supplement industries.
• A major question, however, is whether delivering lycopene through a supplement source is as effective as or more effective than consuming lycopene through whole food sources, specifically the tomato, which is the richest source of lycopene in the Western diet.
• In this review, authors examined clinical trials comparing the efficacy of lycopene supplements with tomato products on intermediate CVD risk factors including oxidative stress, inflammation, endothelial function, blood pressure, and lipid metabolism.
• Overall, the present review highlights the need for more targeted research; however, at present, the available clinical research supports consuming tomato–based foods as a first–line approach to cardiovascular health.

Dieticians say we get more nutrients from some veggies if we cook them

Has your doctor  talked to the hospital nutritionist for anything to do with stroke prevention? Like lycopene? Or is this another complete failure of the stroke department? Call the hospital president every time you see one of these failures. You probably should have called that president at least 7000 times by now.

Lycopene in tomatoes reduces stroke risk by more than 50%

http://www.waaytv.com/appnews/dieticians-say-we-get-more-nutrients-from-some-veggies-if/article_ff8721f4-18c7-11e5-8d99-fb084ed94989.html
Tomatoes heated for just 30 minutes boost the level of the cancer fighting antioxidant, lycopene by 62-percent.

8 Foods That Could Help Unclog Your Arteries

You can read this but they missed a big one.

Watermelon juice reverses hardening of the arteries

 

 

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/natural-health/foods-that-could-help-unclog-your-arteries/? 

1. Garlic

2. Pomegranate

3. Turmeric

4. Chia Seeds

5. Cinnamon

6. Apples

7. Tomatoes

8. Greens

 

 

‘Tomato Pill’ Improves Blood Vessel Function

Now that we know this I would expect a stroke prevention protocol to be written up  by thousands and thousands of neurologists since our stroke associations won't take on that challenge.
http://www.biosciencetechnology.com/news/2014/06/%E2%80%98tomato-pill%E2%80%99-improves-blood-vessel-function?et_cid=3987646&
A daily supplement of an extract found in tomatoes may improve the function of blood vessels in patients with cardiovascular disease, according to new research from the University of Cambridge.

The incidence of cardiovascular disease varies worldwide, but is notably reduced in southern Europe, where a ‘Mediterranean diet’ consisting of a larger consumption of fruit, vegetables and olive oil predominates. Recent dietary studies suggest that this diet reduces the incidence of events related to the disease, including heart attack and stroke, in patients at high cardiovascular risk, or those who have previously had the disease.

One component of the Mediterranean diet thought to play a role in reducing this risk is lycopene, a powerful antioxidant which is ten times more potent than vitamin E. Lycopene is found in tomatoes and other fruits, and its potency appears to be enhanced when it is consumed pureed, in ketchup or in the presence of olive oil. Whilst there is strong epidemiological evidence to support the role of lycopene in reducing cardiovascular risk, the mechanism by which it does so is unclear.

In a study published in the journal PLOS One, researchers at the University of Cambridge and the Cambridge University Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust demonstrate one mechanism by which they believe lycopene reduces the risk.

Dr. Joseph Cheriyan, consultant clinical pharmacologist & physician at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and associate lecturer at the University of Cambridge, said: “There’s a wealth of research that suggests that the Mediterranean diet– which includes lycopene found in tomatoes and other fruit as a component– is good for our cardiovascular health. But so far, it’s been a mystery what the underlying mechanisms could be.”

The researchers carried out a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled, interventional trial investigating the effects of lycopene using a gold standard method of measuring the function of blood vessels called forearm blood flow, which is predictive of future cardiovascular risk. Thirty-six cardiovascular disease patients and thirty-six healthy volunteers were given either Ateronon (an off-the-shelf supplement containing 7mg of lycopene) or a placebo treatment. As a double blind trial, neither the study participants nor the researchers dispensing the pills were aware which treatment was being provided.

The patients with cardiovascular disease were all on statins (cholesterol-lowering drugs). However, despite this, they still had a relatively impaired function of the endothelium– the inner lining of blood vessels– compared to healthy volunteers. This function is determined by the response of blood vessels in the forearm to a naturally occurring molecule called acetylcholine. Endothelial function predicts future events, so having a healthy endothelium is an important factor in preventing the evolution of heart disease.

The researchers found that 7mg of oral lycopene supplementation improved and normalised endothelial function in the patients, but not in healthy volunteers. Lycopene improved the responses of blood vessels to acetylcholine (which stimulates the release of an important hormone called nitric oxide which is a blood vessel dilator) by over a half (53 percent) compared to baseline in those taking the pill after correction for placebo effects; constriction of the blood vessels is one of the key factors that can lead to heart attack and stroke. However, the supplement had no effect on blood pressure, arterial stiffness or levels of lipids.

“We’ve shown quite clearly that lycopene improves the function of blood vessels in cardiovascular disease patients,” said Cheriyan. “It reinforces the need for a healthy diet in people at risk from heart disease and stroke. A daily ‘tomato pill’ is not a substitute for other treatments, but may provide added benefits when taken alongside other medication. However, we cannot answer if this may reduce heart disease– this would need much larger trials to investigate outcomes more carefully.”

Professor Jeremy Pearson, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Impaired endothelial function is a known predictor of increased risk of future heart disease. Further work is needed to understand whether the beneficial effects seen in this small study translate into clinical benefit for at-risk patients.”

Source: University of Cambridge

Thermal Processing Enhances the Nutritional Value of Tomatoes by Increasing Total Antioxidant Activity

So the lycopene content I'm getting from tomatoes should be in a cooked format. I've been trying to eat two medium tomatoes at every dinner. This is why I'm going for tomatoes. But don't listen to me, I know nuthin, that's what your doctor is for.
Tomatoes Linked to Lower Stroke Risk

Heating them here:
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf0115589?

Veronica Dewanto ,^† Xianzhong Wu ,^† Kafui K. Adom ,^† and Rui Hai Liu *^†‡

Department of Food Science and Institute of Comparative and Environmental Toxicology, Stocking Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853

J. Agric. Food Chem., 2002, 50 (10), pp 3010–3014

DOI: 10.1021/jf0115589

Publication Date (Web): April 17, 2002

Copyright © 2002 American Chemical Society

Section:

Food and Feed Chemistry

Abstract

Processed fruits and vegetables have been long considered to have lower nutritional value than their fresh commodities due to the loss of vitamin C during processing. This research group found vitamin C in apples contributed <0.4% of total antioxidant activity, indicating most of the activity comes from the natural combination of phytochemicals. This suggests that processed fruits and vegetables may retain their antioxidant activity despite the loss of vitamin C. Here it is shown that thermal processing elevated total antioxidant activity and bioaccessible lycopene content in tomatoes and produced no significant changes in the total phenolics and total flavonoids content, although loss of vitamin C was observed. The raw tomato had 0.76 ± 0.03 μmol of vitamin C/g of tomato. After 2, 15, and 30 min of heating at 88 °C, the vitamin C content significantly dropped to 0.68 ± 0.02, 0.64 ± 0.01, and 0.54 ± 0.02 μmol of vitamin C/g of tomato, respectively (p < 0.01). The raw tomato had 2.01 ± 0.04 mg of trans-lycopene/g of tomato. After 2, 15, and 30 min of heating at 88 °C, the trans-lycopene content had increased to 3.11± 0.04, 5.45 ± 0.02, and 5.32 ± 0.05 mg of trans-lycopene/g of tomato (p < 0.01). The antioxidant activity of raw tomatoes was 4.13 ± 0.36 μmol of vitamin C equiv/g of tomato. With heat treatment at 88 °C for 2, 15, and 30 min, the total antioxidant activity significantly increased to 5.29 ± 0.26, 5.53 ± 0.24, and 6.70 ± 0.25 μmol of vitamin C equiv/g of tomato, respectively (p < 0.01). There were no significant changes in either total phenolics or total flavonoids. These findings indicate thermal processing enhanced the nutritional value of tomatoes by increasing the bioaccessible lycopene content and total antioxidant activity and are against the notion that processed fruits and vegetables have lower nutritional value than fresh produce. This information may have a significant impact on consumers' food selection by increasing their consumption of fruits and vegetables to reduce the risks of chronic diseases.