Cherry tomatoes and tomatoes: less water, and a cholesterol answer that split

A meta-analysis of 21 intervention trials in adults found that tomato products lowered LDL cholesterol by 8.5 mg/dL (0.22 mmol/L), across a mix of products and doses. A later meta-analysis of 34 randomized trials, rated with GRADE, found no significant change in LDL, triglycerides, fasting glucose, blood pressure or body weight. The two reviews pooled different sets of studies, and that is why the cholesterol answer is unclear. In 11 randomized trials of adults with overweight or obesity, tomatoes, tomato products or tomato extracts trimmed waist circumference by 0.45 in (95% CI 0.02 to 0.89; metric: 1.15 cm, 0.04 to 2.27), a range that nearly reaches zero, with no consistent change in weight. Between the small tomato and the big one, the gap is mostly water. UK food tables give raw cherry tomatoes 22 calories and 274 mg potassium per 3.5 oz (100 g) against 14 calories and 223 mg for standard tomatoes, one value per food with no sample spread. USDA has no lab entry for cherry tomatoes. Its grape tomatoes held about 4.1 mg of lycopene per 3.5 oz (100 g) against 2.9 mg in roma, and the grape figure rests on only 3 samples. One cherry tomato counts as 17 g in the US dietary survey, so seven of them weigh about as much as one 125 g whole tomato.

How much is actually in it

• In USDA lab samples, grape tomatoes held about 4.1 mg of lycopene and 27 mg of vitamin C per 3.5 oz (100 g) against about 2.9 mg and 18 mg in roma tomatoes, though the grape lycopene figure rests on only 3 samples. — USDA Foundation Foods samples, Tomatoes, grape, raw and Tomato, roma Evidence E source
  Lycopene 4100 vs 2863 ug, vitamin C 27.2 vs 17.75 mg, fiber 2.1 vs 0.97 g per 3.5 oz (100 g)
• UK food tables give raw cherry tomatoes 22 calories, 3.6 g sugars and 274 mg potassium per 3.5 oz (100 g), against 14 calories, 3.0 g and 223 mg for standard tomatoes, because cherry tomatoes hold less water. — CoFID 2021 records Tomatoes, cherry, raw (13-519) and Tomatoes, standard, raw (13-517) Evidence E source
  Energy 22 vs 14 calories, total sugars 3.6 vs 3.0 g, potassium 274 vs 223 mg, water 91.4 vs 94.6 g per 3.5 oz (100 g)

What a real portion looks like

• The US dietary survey counts one cherry tomato as 17 g and one grape tomato as 8 g, so about seven cherry tomatoes match one 125 g whole tomato. — USDA FNDDS food Tomatoes, raw, standard measures Evidence E source
  1 cherry 17 g, 1 grape tomato 8 g, 1 whole 125 g, 1 cup 180 g

What your body absorbs

• In a randomized crossover trial in 10 healthy adults, adding 500 mg of calcium carbonate to a tomato paste meal cut lycopene absorption by 83%. — 10 healthy adults, single test meal with 19 mg lycopene from tomato paste, 7 h sampling (n = 10) Evidence B source
  Lycopene bioavailability -83% with 500 mg calcium carbonate
• A meta-analysis of 12 randomized trials found that eating carotenoid-rich foods with fat raises carotenoid absorption, with unsaturated fats giving a much larger boost than saturated fats. — 12 RCTs and 27 in vitro studies of dietary fat and carotenoid absorption Evidence A source
  SMD 0.90 (95% CI 0.69 to 1.11) for unsaturated-fat-rich vs SMD 0.27 (0.08 to 0.47) for saturated-fat-rich fats
• In a randomized crossover trial in 11 healthy volunteers, adding refined olive oil to 26 oz (750 g) of unheated tomato juice significantly raised all lycopene isomers in blood, peaking at 24 hours. — 11 healthy volunteers, single 750 g tomato juice dose with or without 10% olive oil (n = 11) Evidence B source
  All lycopene isomers increased significantly with oil, maximum at 24 h

What cooking and storage change

• By the USDA retention table for boiled or baked tomatoes, cooking keeps about 95% of vitamin C and 70% of folate, while minerals stay at 100%. — USDA retention factors, Vegetables, TOMATOES, BOILED/BAKED Evidence E source
  Vitamin C 95%, folate 70%, potassium 100% retained
• In a randomized trial in 33 men awaiting prostatectomy, daily servings of tomato soup, sauce or juice with 25 to 35 mg lycopene raised plasma lycopene by 59 to 71%, while a lycopene-restricted diet lowered it by 24%. — 33 men before prostatectomy, randomized to control or tomato soup, sauce or vegetable juice daily (n = 33) Evidence B source
  Plasma lycopene +66% soup, +71% sauce, +59% juice, -24% control

What it does to your health

• A meta-analysis of 21 intervention trials found that tomato products lowered LDL cholesterol by about 8.5 mg/dL (0.22 mmol/L) and improved flow-mediated dilation by 2.53%. — adults over 18 in 21 intervention trials of tomato products or lycopene Evidence A source
  LDL -8.5 mg/dL (-0.22 mmol/L) (p = 0.006), IL-6 SMD -0.25, FMD +2.53%

What people believe that the data does not support

• The EU refused the claim that tomato juice has a positive influence on blood sugar, and none of 16 tomato or lycopene health claims in the EU register is authorized. — EU food labeling Evidence E source
  Claim non-authorized, 0 of 16 tomato claims authorized

Who this works differently for

• In 11 randomized trials of people with overweight or obesity, tomato-based foods trimmed waist circumference by about 0.47 in (1.2 cm) without a consistent change in body weight. — adults with mean BMI 25 or more in 11 RCTs of tomatoes, tomato products or extracts Evidence A source
  Waist MD -0.45 in (95% CI -0.89 to -0.02; metric: -1.153 cm, -2.27 to -0.04), no consistent effect on weight or BMI
• Observational data from older Spanish adults at high cardiovascular risk link eating more than 3.9 oz (110 g) of tomato a day with a 36% lower risk of developing hypertension. — 1097 non-hypertensive PREDIMED participants, older adults at high cardiovascular risk, about 3 years (n = 1097) Evidence C source
  HR 0.64 (95% CI 0.51 to 0.89), highest vs lowest intake

What is still unknown

• A later GRADE-assessed meta-analysis of 34 randomized trials found that tomato and lycopene did not change lipids, glucose, blood pressure, inflammation or body weight, only an oxidative stress marker. — adults in 34 randomized controlled trials Evidence A source
  No significant change in TG, TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, FBG, SBP, DBP, CRP or weight, MDA reduced with lycopene

The bottom line

What you eat the tomato with changes how much lycopene reaches your blood. A meta-analysis of 12 randomized trials found that fat raises carotenoid absorption, with unsaturated fats giving a larger boost (SMD 0.90, 95% CI 0.69 to 1.11) than saturated ones (SMD 0.27, 0.08 to 0.47). That result covers carotenoids as a group, and the lab part of the same review showed no fat effect for lycopene alone. In a crossover trial in 11 healthy volunteers, adding olive oil to a single dose of tomato juice raised every lycopene form in blood, peaking at 24 hours. The abstract gives no size for the rise. Processed tomato works too. In a randomized trial in 33 men awaiting prostate surgery, daily tomato soup, sauce or juice raised plasma lycopene by 59 to 71 percent, while a lycopene-restricted diet lowered it by 24 percent. The abstract does not say for how long. Cooking costs little by the USDA retention table for boiled or baked tomatoes: about 95 percent of vitamin C and 70 percent of folate stay, and minerals stay whole. That table dates from 1975 and has no lycopene row. Spanish adults in their later years at high cardiovascular risk who ate more than 3.9 oz (110 g) of tomato a day had a 36 percent lower risk of developing high blood pressure over about 3 years (HR 0.64, 95% CI 0.51 to 0.89). This is observational data from food questionnaires, an association and not a measured effect. The EU refused the claim that tomato juice has a positive influence on blood sugar. We hold no card on tomato allergy, medicines, pregnancy or children, so this page has no safety section. That marks a gap in what we found. The one interaction we do have is with a supplement. In 10 healthy adults, 500 mg of calcium carbonate taken with a tomato paste meal cut lycopene absorption by 83 percent, in a single test meal.

Sources

1. chto-r6-01 · food composition table
   Tomatoes, grape, raw: Lycopene 4100.0 UG (3 samples, range 3860.0-4240.0), Vitamin C 27.2 MG (12 samples), Fiber 2.1 G (3 samples); Tomato, roma: Lycopene 2863.0 UG (8 samples, range 1827.0-4345.0), Vitamin C 17.75 MG (8 samples), Fiber 0.9706 G (8 samples) per 100 g
   USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30 · checked 2026-10-01
2. chto-r6-02 · food composition table
   Tomatoes, cherry, raw 13-519: Energy 22 kcal, Total sugars 3.6 g, Potassium 274 mg, Water 91.4 g; Tomatoes, standard, raw 13-517: Energy 14 kcal, Total sugars 3.0 g, Potassium 223 mg, Water 94.6 g per 100 g
   CoFID 2021, Public Health England, codes 13-519 and 13-517 · checked 2026-10-01
3. chto-r6-03 · dietary survey database
   Tomatoes, raw, FNDDS code 74101000, fdc_id 2709719: 1 cherry 17 g; 1 grape tomato 8 g; 1 whole 125 g; 1 cup 180 g
   USDA FNDDS, FNDDS code 74101000, fdc_id 2709719 · checked 2026-10-01
4. chto-r6-05 · randomized crossover trial
   LYC bioavailability was diminished by 83 % following the addition of Ca in the test meal.
   Br J Nutr, 2016 · checked 2026-10-01
5. chto-r6-06 · meta-analysis of RCTs
   Moreover, fats rich in unsaturated fatty acids resulted in greater improvement in carotenoid bioavailability (SMD 0.90; 95%CI, 0.69-1.11) as compared with fats rich in saturated fatty acids (SMD 0.27; 95%CI, 0.08-0.47).
   Nutr Rev, 2022 · checked 2026-10-01
6. chto-r6-08 · randomized crossover trial
   All lycopene isomers increased significantly in subjects consuming TJ with oil, reaching the maximum concentration at 24h.
   Food Chem, 2015 · checked 2026-10-01
7. chto-r6-04 · retention factor table
   USDA-RETN-R6:3751 TOMATOES,BOILED/BAKED (Vegetables and Vegetable Products): vitamin_c_mg 95%, folate_total_ug 70%, potassium_mg 100%
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6 (2007), code 3751 · checked 2026-10-01
8. chto-r6-07 · randomized controlled trial
   Tomato soup, sauce and juice consumption significantly increased plasma lycopene concentration from 0·68 (sem 0·1) to 1·13 (sem 0·09) μmol/l (66 %), 0·48 (sem 0·09) to 0·82 (sem 0·12) μmol/l (71 %) and 0·49 (sem 0·12) to 0·78 (sem 0·1) μmol/l (59 %), respectively, while the controls consuming the lycopene-restricted diet showed a decline in plasma lycopene concentration from 0·55 (sem 0·60) to 0·42 (sem 0·07) μmol/l ( - 24 %).
   Br J Nutr, 2015 · checked 2026-10-01
9. chto-r6-09 · meta-analysis of intervention trials
   Overall, interventions supplementing tomato were associated with significant reductions in LDL-cholesterol (-0.22 mmol/L; p = 0.006), IL-6 (standardised mean difference -0.25; p = 0.03), and improvements in FMD (2.53%; p = 0.01); while lycopene supplementation reduced systolic-BP (-5.66 mmHg; p = 0.002).
   Atherosclerosis, 2017 · checked 2026-10-01
10. chto-r6-13 · regulatory register
    POL-HC-8038 Tomato juice Tomato juice has a positive Influence on blood sugar level Non-authorised
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-8038, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-10-01
11. chto-r6-11 · meta-analysis of RCTs
    In the RCTs, tomato-based interventions produced a small but significant reduction in waist circumference (MD: -1.153 cm, 95% CI: -2.27 to -0.04, p = 0.0432), with no consistent effects on body weight or BMI.
    Food Funct, 2026 · checked 2026-10-01
12. chto-r6-12 · prospective cohort analysis
    The risk of hypertension decreased with consumption of >110 g/day tomato (highest vs. lowest consumption; hazard ratio, 0.64 [95% CI, 0.51-0.89]).
    Eur J Prev Cardiol, 2024 · checked 2026-10-01
13. chto-r6-10 · meta-analysis of RCTs
    However, lycopene and tomato consumption did not have significant effects on other cardiovascular risk factors such as triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), fasting blood glucose (FBG), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), Intercellular Adhesion Molecule 1 (ICAM-1), c-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), body weight, and body mass index (BMI).
    Curr Pharm Des, 2023 · checked 2026-10-01