Stroke prevention: Eating THIS popular £2 summer fruit could protect you
STROKES happen to more than 100,000 people in the UK, and are similar to a heart attack - except that they affect your brain. However, eating something as simple as a watermelon and a bunch of tomatoes could protect you, experts have claimed.
Stroke prevention: Eating watermelon can help
According to the NHS, the best way to prevent a stroke is to eat a healthy diet. A stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off - which can affect or damage brain cells and cause severe damage to the body.
However, some foods are particularly effective at doing this.
Research has found watermelon - £2 from Tesco - and tomatoes can reduce risk of a stroke and cancer.
They both contain an antioxidant, lycopene, which provides the beneficial effects.
Stroke prevention: They contain an antioxidant called lycopene
Research found that men with the highest blood levels of lycopene were 55 per cent less likely to have a stroke than those with the lowest.
Indeed, a 2014 study found lycopene lowered stroke risk by over 19 per cent.
Previous 2012 research found that men with the highest blood levels of lycopene were 55 per cent less likely to have a stroke than those with the lowest.
In addition to preventing strokes, it's also been shown to protect against heart disease, cancer, skin health and sperm count.
Tomatoes, in particular, provide one of the richest concentrations.
Stroke prevention: Tomatoes also contain the antioxidant
Cooking tomatoes increases the level of lycopene that can be absorbed by the body.
However, since it's a fat-soluble nutrient, it must be eaten with some dietary fat for it to be used by the body.
This could be olive oil or oily fish.
Lycopene is also found in papaya, pink grapefruit and guava.
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Stroke prevention: Cooking tomatoes in olive oil allows more lycopene to be aborbed
The antioxidant gives fruit and vegetables their red or pink colour.
Eating watermelon can provide you with a number of other benefits.
It's packed with beta-carotene which is important for immunity, cancer prevention and eyesight.
Additionally, it contains vitamin B6 for brain health.