E2G EAT TO GROW
Beyond A Workout Routine
On a final note, researchers at Yeungnam
University in Korea state that tomato plants
make the alkaloids dehydrotomatine and
alpha-tomatine to ward off fungi, bacteria, vi-
ruses, and insects. Correspondingly, research-
ers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture had
reported that despite not totally understand-
ing all of the roles of these naturally occurring
compounds in tomatoes, based on current
data, the bioactive compounds lycopene and
α-tomatine have potential health-promoting
effects in both animals and humans. For
example, based on the current knowledge
gained from the chemistry and analysis of
these compounds and from studies on their
bioavailability, bioactivity, and m echanisms
of action, these compounds guard against
cancer cell development, as well as having
antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant,
and immune-stimulating effects. Recent
data suggest that lycopene also exhibits
anti-inflammatory activity by accelerating
programmed cell death (the deliberate sui-
cide of unwanted or damaged cells). Addi-
tional studies have indicated that tomato
juice decreases LDL cholesterol levels and
increases LDL resistance to oxidation. LDL
oxidation leads to the LDL particles becom-
ing unstable causing increased inflammation
within the arteries.
Based on the findings cited above, as a
devoted bodybuilding enthusiast, incorporat-
ing this naturally occurring compound found
in tomatoes into your daily nutritional supple-
ment routine may be one of the healthiest,
and most inexpensive and effective ways to
ignite fat-burning and reduce muscle catabo-
lism, as well as activating anabolic pathways
that accelerate protein synthesis or the
creation of new muscle tissue. IM
On The Juice
If you are physique conscious in the slightest, you probably
dropped fruit juice from your diet a long time ago. Tomato
juice deserves another look. Unlike sugar bombs such as
apple juice (24 grams of sugar per cup) or cranberry juice
(31 grams of sugar per cup), a cup of tomato juice has
only 40 calories and nine grams of sugar. It is loaded with
vitamin A, vitamin C, and lycopene, a potent cancer-fight-
ing antioxidant that is especially good for men because
it has been shown to protect against prostate cancer.
(And processed tomato products like sauce and juice
contain more lycopene than raw tomatoes.) One study
out of Japan actually found that tomato juice helps trigger
enzymes in the liver that combat alcohol, which is probably
why it has the reputation as a hangover cure.
The one traditional knock on tomato juice has always
been its sodium content. Overdoing sodium should be of
little concern to someone who trains (and sweats) hard
and is on top of their hydration status. In fact, it’s crucial
that competitors maintain reasonable sodium levels during
their training in order to get the desired ripped look when
they cut sodium during peak week.
36 aprIl 2017 | ironmanmagazine.com