Unsalted tomato juice intake improves blood pressure and serum low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol level in local Japanese residents at risk of cardiovascular disease

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of unsalted tomato juice intake on cardiovascular risk markers in local Japanese residents. Four hundred and eighty‐one local residents in Kuriyama, Japan, were enrolled in this study. Throughout the year of the study, they were provided with as much unsalted tomato juice as they wanted. Participants were screened for cardiovascular risk markers, such as blood pressure (BP), serum lipid profile, and glucose tolerance, before and after the study period. Of the study participants, 260 participated in a detailed study of their lifestyle factors. The average ages of the 184 male and 297 female participants were 56.3 ± 13.3 (mean ± SD) and 58.4 ± 11.7 years, respectively. BP in 94 participants with untreated prehypertension or hypertension was significantly lowered (systolic BP, 141.2 ± 12.1–137.0 ± 16.3 mmHg, p = 0.003; diastolic BP, 83.3 ± 10.1–80.9 ± 11.1 mmHg, p = 0.012, paired t test). Further, the serum low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C) level in 125 participants with untreated dyslipidemia significantly decreased (155.0 ± 23.2–149.9 ± 25.0 mg/dl, p = 0.005, paired t test). These beneficial effects were not different between sexes and among the different age groups. No significant difference in lifestyle was found before and after the study. Unsalted tomato juice intake improved systolic and diastolic BP and serum LDL‐C level in local Japanese residents at risk of cardiovascular conditions.