Tomatoes are newest food shown to help reduce risk of stroke

CLEVELAND - Tomatoes are the newest food that's been shown to help reduce your risk of suffering from a stroke.

According to a study published in the journal Neurology, eating tomatoes a few times a week could reduce your risk of stroke by up to 55 percent.

Researchers say tomatoes contain a powerful antioxidant called lycopene that is good for brain health and people who have high levels of lycopene in their blood are less likely to have a stroke.

The study also found cooked tomatoes seem to offer more protection than raw, so pile on the sauce the next time you eat a plate of pasta.

But experts caution that not all the credit can be given to lycopene. They say better health habits overall, not necessarily just the lycopene, can also lead to fewer strokes.