Last week the news on the health-giving tomato concerned heart disease. This week its potential regarding the health of our bones is being highlighted (although no photo* of a femur-shaped tomato; I’m sure Ester Ranzen would’ve succeeded where I’ve failed.)
A small study has found that 2 glasses of tomato juice a day can strengthen bones and ward off oesteoporosis. Nothing conclusive as yet – but it seems it’s the magic of lycopene at work again. Only problem – the one thing I don’t love about tomatoes -tomato juice !
Oh – and of course blight. Whilst some scientists work with tomatoes to benefit our health, others work on the health of the tomato with the hope of making progress in the breeding of resistance to late blight. At the moment the focus is on the potato but hopefully any breakthroughs could, in time, also benenfit the tomato.
*However as well as this beautiful picture by postbear – I also found his recommendation for enjoying tomato juice as a ‘redeye’ – tomato juice and beer. Is that a good beer ruined ? Or a new way to finally get to enjoy tomato juice ?
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Thanks for the link to an interesting article. I have serious reservations about genetic interference though; Franken-spud isn’t for me and neither is his first cousin Tomato-stein. But then I’m not a commercial grower and I don’t have my livelihood threatened every time it rains.
There’s that – and then I remember the last time I was in a discussion about blight resistant potatoes (must get out more except that is exactly what happens when I do – veg talk !) – all the potato growers (home and allotment) were in fervent agreement that whilst it lived up to the resistance bit – it just didn’t cut the mustard in terms of being a potato! So you get to harvest your potatoes with no blight – but they just don’t set the potato eater’s world alight.