Can spaghetti sauce keep you spry?
Maybe, if a group of 88 nuns (age 77 to 98) are any evidence. Those with the highest blood levels of lycopene, a carotenoid compound found mainly in tomatoes and tomato products, were the least likely to need help with activities like bathing, dressing and walking, shows a Journal of Gerontology study.
It’s way too early to say whether it was lycopene that kept these nuns more independent. But we’ve already found studies that show lower rates of colon and prostate cancer in people who eat tomato products every day.
Is it possible something tomato every day can help us stay active longer, too?
