In his new book, The Red Bodyguard, pharmacist Ron Levin has, for the first time, collated decades of research confirming the powerful health-giving credentials of this everyday fruit.

Tomatoes contain high levels of beta-carotene, an antioxidant that supports the immune system and helps maintain healthy skin and tissue lining. They are packed with antioxidant flavonoids and vitamin E, both of which are essential for heart health, and are a good source of potassium. One medium-size tomato provides 50 per cent of the recommended daily dose of vitamin C; they contain no saturated fatty acids, are low in salt, starch and sugars, high in dietary fibre and have a low glycaemic index.

But that's not all. Tomatoes are the richest source of an exceptionally potent antioxidant called lycopene - the pigment that gives them their deep red colour. A single lycopene molecule can neutralise 13 free radicals which, if allowed to build up, can cause cell damage and trigger cancer - that's twice the free radical busting power of beta-carotene, another powerful antioxidant.

The amount of lycopene in a tomato varies according to the variety, but deep red tomatoes are best - they can contain 50?mg of lycopene per kilogram. On average, people in Britain consume only 1.1 mg a day - a fraction of the recommended five to eight mgs.

Cooking and condensing tomatoes is an easy way to increase one's intake, as this concentrates the lycopene. Analysis of the Mediterranean diet, which keeps southern European populations comparatively healthy, suggested that cooking tomatoes with olive oil further improves their potency.

Lycopene and beta-carotene are broken down by heating, and are soluble in oil but not water, so cooking tomatoes in olive oil prepares these beneficial chemicals perfectly for absorption by the body. One Italian study showed that absorption of lycopene was more than three times greater when consumed as tomato sauce or paste than from raw tomatoes.

Lycopene plays other roles in the prevention of disease. Three independent studies conclude that it may suppress the production of an insulin-like growth hormone called IFG - 1, which is made in the liver and stimulates the growth and spread of prostate and breast cancer.

Other research collated by Levin suggests that lycopene may enhance chemical communication between the cells, which helps to regulate unusual cell growth and may even reverse the process by which a tumour becomes malignant.
A laboratory study found that it has a similar effect to the cholesterol-lowering drugs, statins.

'The Red Bodyguard: The amazing health-promoting properties of the tomato' by Ron Levin (Icon) is available for £5.99 + 99p p&p. To order call Telegraph Books on 0870 428 4112 or go to books.telegraph.co.uk

HEART DISEASE

When free radicals attack soluble fats in the blood, the fats solidify and form layers known as plaques, which build up in the arteries and restrict blood flow.

Eventually the heart muscles become starved of oxygen, leading to a heart attack or stroke, and the plaques break away from artery walls causing blood clots or thromboses. In 2001, a team of scientists at the Rowett Nutritional Research Institute in Aberdeen tested the juices of 17 different fruits for possible anti-clotting activity.

Tomato juice was found to be very potent. Additionally, agents in the gelatinous substance around the tomato seeds appeared to help prevent blood platelets from clumping together, guarding against the formation of clots.

PROSTATE CANCER

A study at Harvard University, in 1986, looked at the impact of 46 fruits and vegetables on the development of prostate cancer over nine years. Only four food items were found to be significantly related to a lower risk of prostate cancer - tomato sauce, fresh tomatoes, tomato juice and tomato purée.

Men who had regularly eaten 10 or more helpings per week had reduced their risk of developing the cancer by 30 per cent, as compared to those who consistently consumed one helping or less. Again, tomato sauce made by cooking tomatoes in oil appeared to be more effective than raw tomato. Recent trials have suggested that tomatoes could also reduce, slow or prevent the conversion of latent prostate cancer to the aggressive, lethal form.

MALE FERTILITY

Excess production of free radicals in the semen reduces sperm count and has been linked to infertility.

In a study of 50 people, infertile patients were given a daily capsule containing eight mg of lycopene until their sperm analysis was normalised or pregnancy was achieved. There was a 36 per cent pregnancy success rate.

HOW MUCH?

Have one of these tomato variants with half to one teaspoonful of virgin olive oil three to four times a week: soup (one cup); juice (one cup); cooked tomatoes (two medium whole tomatoes); ketchup (two tablespoons); spaghetti sauce (½ a cup); paste (two tablespoons); purée (two tablespoons) sauce (¼ of a cup).

EYESIGHT

Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) affects the central part of the retina called the macula, which controls fine vision. Researchers found that eye disease was less frequent and less severe in people with antioxidant-rich diets. Tomatoere rich in the antioxidant lutein, which is believed to protect the retina from free radical damage.