The Powerful and Unknown Antibiotic Power of Tomatoes in Fighting Common Infections
Foods and spices such as garlic, turmeric, ginger, honey, oregano oil or cinnamon have been used in traditional medicine for centuries in many places around the world for their properties. antimicrobial And antifungal. New research suggests that tomatoa very common food on our plates, can destroy microorganisms and help fight infections as often as cystitis.
Everything good about tomatoes
The tomato is a fruit native to the Americas that has become a staple ingredient in the gastronomy of many cultures around the world for several reasons: culinary versatilityits contents nutritious And him advantages to your health.
From a nutritional point of view, tomatoes are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, especially highlighting their content in Vitamin C, vitamin K, potassium and antioxidants such as lycopene. He lycopeneresponsible for the characteristic red color of tomatoes, is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.
In addition, tomato Low calorie content and a good source Alimentary fiber, making it a healthy food for improving digestion and weight loss. In the kitchen, the tomato is extremely universal and is used in a variety of dishes, from salads and sauces to soups and stews.
Despite all this, tomatoes are widely appreciated, but until now we knew little about their antimicrobial properties. And it seems he has them. In a study published in Microbiological spectrumScientists from Cornell University have proven that tomato juice can kill Salmonella Tifi, reason typhoid feverand other bacteria that damage digestive and urinary system and they are very common.
Its antimicrobial power
To find out how tomatoes can help us fight harmful bacteria, the first thing the team did was demonstrate through laboratory experiments that tomato juice has the properties antibacterial real.
Having confirmed that tomato juice was effective against bacteria, scientists used computers to study the genetic code of tomatoes and identify the substances (antimicrobial peptides) responsible for this antibacterial power. These peptides act like real soldiers, capable of destroying harmful bacteria and two of them were really powerful.
Manuel Peinado Lorcaprofessor emeritus and director of the Royal Botanical Garden of the University of Alcalá, explains in an article in Talk that antimicrobial peptides are naturally occurring proteins with properties antibiotics. They are actually part of our innate defense system and have evolved to protect us from bacteria, fungi and viruses. They directly attack the bacteria’s membrane, creating pores that cause them to collapse and cause their death.
But that’s not all: these antimicrobial peptides also have additional properties. In addition to killing bacteria, they can help our the immune system and stimulate release squirrels called cytokines and chemokines, which act as messengers to help the body fight cancer, infections and other diseases.
Once the scientists identified these two tomato antimicrobial peptides, they conducted further tests comparing them to different types of disease-causing bacteria around the world.
They found that the antimicrobial power of tomatoes is effective against Salmonella Tifi (bacteria that cause typhoid fever), non-typhoidal salmonella (Salmonella Typhimurium) and strains coli Responsible for urinary tract infections such as cystitis.
In short, this study shows that tomatoes may be ours natural allies against harmful bacteria, becoming an antimicrobial food. They grow in all climates and are present in almost all cuisines of the world. Apart from the antioxidant power of lycopene, they can help us fight serious infections such as typhoid fever which causes millions of deaths in the world, but also from less serious infections, but with much more severe consequences, such as cystitis.