Growing Heart Healthy Food Market Supported By Some Scientific Evidence

The market for heart-healthy foods is growing strongly and in the US is already over $7 billion. However, the FDA has sometimes criticized companies for making claims that only approved drugs can use. Trying to determine which foods actually help, researchers in Hamilton, Ontario, investigated 189 studies to find foods that provided the best evidence of helping the heart. Vegetables and nuts both showed strong evidence of helping while foods that contained trans-fatty acids and had a high glycemic index were harmful. Additional studies conducted at the University of California-Davis and Penn State University say that a tomato, particularly a canned tomato, appears to help people with high blood pressure and provides a large amount of vitamins, fiber and potassium.