Adding tomatoes to your daily diet may help reduce fat buildup in the liver, according to a new study involving people with fatty liver disease.
The buildup, known as hepatic steatosis, is the hallmark of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, or MASLD.
MASLD, a common chronic liver condition estimated to affect about 30% of U.S. adults.
MASLD was previously known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD. The condition is associated with metabolic risk factors such as overweight and obesity, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and abnormal cholesterol levels.
According to Medical News Today, the study, published in Nutrients, found that participants who ate raw tomatoes and tomato sauce every day had a greater reduction in liver fat than those who followed a tomato-free diet.
The study included 79 people with MASLD who were divided into two groups. One group consumed 200 grams of raw tomatoes — roughly one large tomato — plus 50 grams of tomato sauce daily, while the control group followed a tomato-free diet.
After six weeks, researchers assessed participants’ body composition, liver fat, liver stiffness and cholesterol levels.
They found a greater reduction in hepatic steatosis among participants who consumed tomatoes daily compared with the control group. Other measurements showed little difference between the groups.
The researchers said “tomato consumption may reduce hepatic fat accumulation,” but the findings come with several caveats.
The study lasted only six weeks, so it is unclear whether the apparent benefit would persist over the long term. Participants were also predominantly male and younger than 65, limiting how broadly the findings can be applied.
Researchers also did not establish exactly how tomatoes might affect liver fat. Tomatoes are rich in lycopene and other carotenoids, plant compounds with antioxidant properties, but more research is needed to determine whether these compounds played a role in the findings.
