One of the reasons certain tomato products appear to be protective against heart attacks6 is because the yellow fluid surrounding the seeds concentrates a compound that suppresses platelet activation.7 (Platelets are what help trigger the blood clots that cause heart attacks and most strokes.) Aspirin has a similar effect, but it doesn’t work in everyone and can increase bleeding risk—two limitations that the tomato compound may be able to overcome.8,9 But if you only consume tomato sauce, juice, or ketchup, you may be missing out10 since the seeds are removed during processing. So when
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