Do tomatoes cause inflammation?

No. A 2022 meta-analysis of 7 randomized trials in 465 adults, the one review that looked at tomatoes alone, found tomato intake did not change CRP or IL-6 and lowered TNF-alpha, three common blood markers of inflammation. A larger 2023 review of 34 trials found no significant effect of tomato and lycopene on any of them. None of the reviews we read found tomatoes raising inflammation. Two groups have a real reason for caution, people with gout and people allergic to tomato, and neither is about inflammation in general.

Established. In trials, eating tomatoes does not raise CRP, IL-6 or TNF-alpha. Three meta-analyses of tomato or tomato and lycopene agree on this, and a fourth, of lycopene supplements, points the same way. They disagree only on whether tomatoes lower some markers a little or leave them where they were.

What the trials found

The pooled reviews

The tomato-only review of 7 trials found no significant effect on CRP or IL-6, and a fall in TNF-alpha with a standardized effect of 0.45 (95% CI 0.13 to 0.76). The trials were small in total and their CRP results differed widely from one another.

A 2017 meta-analysis of 21 intervention trials found tomato products lowered IL-6 by a standardized difference of 0.25 and did not significantly change CRP. The same trials lowered LDL cholesterol by 8.5 mg/dL (0.22 mmol/L).

The largest synthesis, a 2023 review of 34 randomized trials that graded its own certainty, pooled lycopene and tomato together. It found no significant effect on CRP, IL-6 or TNF-alpha. On this evidence the fairest summary is neutral, with a lean toward slightly lower markers and nothing pointing upward.

Lycopene is the red pigment of tomatoes. A 2022 meta-analysis of 26 trials of carotenoid supplements found it was the only one that lowered IL-6, by 1.08 pg/mL (95% CI 0.12 to 2.03). That trial evidence is about capsules rather than tomatoes on a plate.

Single trials

In a randomized crossover trial in 39 healthy men, adding 3.5 oz (100 g) of tomato puree to a high-fat meal lowered TNF-alpha, IL-6 and CCL2 in the blood after that meal. That is one meal and says nothing about months of eating. In 28 older adults at high cardiovascular risk, 200 or 14 fl oz (400 mL) of tomato juice a day for 4 weeks lowered the adhesion molecules ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 compared with water, in an open trial. In 12 adults with obesity a tomato-soy juice lowered three cytokines, and the soy makes it impossible to credit the tomato alone. In endurance runners, 4 weeks of a tomato carotenoid supplement did not blunt the rise in CRP or cytokines after a hard 2-hour run.

A single dose of tomato sofrito with olive oil, onion and garlic was followed by lower CRP and TNF-alpha in 22 healthy men. There was no control group, so the sauce, the olive oil or nothing at all may explain it.

Why the observational link runs backwards

People with inflammation tend to have less lycopene in their blood, and that pattern is easy to read as tomatoes protecting against it. A 2020 systematic review of 35 human studies found the direction is the other way round. Inflammation lowers blood lycopene, while giving people more tomato or lycopene raised their blood levels and almost never changed inflammatory markers.

Myth. Tomatoes are nightshades, and the idea that nightshades inflame joints is widespread. We found no randomized trial and no systematic review that tested cutting out tomatoes or other nightshades in arthritis. The trials that do exist found no rise in inflammatory markers when people ate more tomato.

Who should be careful

Not for everyone. If you have gout, tomatoes may matter for you. In three US cohorts, each extra weekly serving of tomatoes was linked with serum urate 0.66 umol/L higher, a small association from observational data that does not show cause. Among 2,051 New Zealanders with gout, about one in five of those who named a food trigger named tomatoes.

Tomato allergy is real and uncommon. Among 78 children seen at one clinic for fruit or vegetable allergy, tomato was the fourth most common culprit, in 12.8% of cases. That is an immune reaction in allergic children, a different thing from the general inflammation people ask about. We found no card on tomatoes and inflammation in pregnancy or alongside medicines.

What expert bodies say

We found no position from the NIH, EFSA or WHO on tomatoes and inflammation. The EU did not authorize the claim that lycopene from tomato extract is an antioxidant that protects body cells and DNA, and every tomato and lycopene claim in its register is non-authorized. That means the evidence submitted was not enough for a label claim, and it says nothing about harm.

How we searched

What would change this answer

• A randomized trial of removing tomatoes or other nightshades in people with arthritis. We found none, and that is the trial the popular worry needs.
• A trial in people with gout that gives or withholds tomatoes and counts flares, since the current link comes from surveys and cohort data.
• Longer and larger trials of whole tomatoes, since most of the evidence is weeks long, and the tomato-only review rests on 465 people.
• We found no registered trial now running on tomatoes and inflammation.

More on this food: tomato. Other questions about inflammation: turmeric and fish oil.

Sources

1. ev-tominf-01 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials · n = 465
   Generally, the present study showed that tomato intake has no significant effect on serum CRP, and IL-6 concentrations, but can reduce serum TNF-α levels significantly.
   
   Who: Adults in randomized clinical trials of tomato intake, healthy or with disease
   Effect: CRP WMD 0.13 mg/dL (95% CI -0.09 to 0.36), I2 83.9%; IL-6 Hedges g -0.12 (95% CI -0.36 to 0.13); TNF-alpha Hedges g -0.45 (95% CI -0.76 to -0.13)
   Certainty: The most direct answer to the question: tomatoes only, inflammation markers only. No increase found; TNF-alpha decreases, CRP and IL-6 unchanged. Small N, high heterogeneity for CRP.
   Clinical Nutrition ESPEN, 2022 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
2. ev-tominf-02 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis of intervention trials · n = 21 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).
   
   Who: Adults over 18 years in intervention trials of tomato products or lycopene supplements
   Effect: IL-6 SMD -0.25 (p = 0.03) with tomato; LDL -8.5 mg/dL (-0.22 mmol/L) (p = 0.006); FMD +2.53%; CRP and ICAM-1 not significantly affected
   Certainty: The IL-6 reduction signal is small; CRP did not change. No increase in markers.
   Atherosclerosis, 2017 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
3. ev-tominf-03 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials with GRADE · n = 34 studies
   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).
   
   Who: Adults in randomized controlled trials of lycopene or tomato consumption, searched to November 2022
   Effect: no significant change in CRP, IL-6, TNF-alpha or ICAM-1; only MDA fell with lycopene
   Certainty: The largest synthesis: neutral. Together with 35871957: tomatoes do not raise, and mostly do not change, inflammation markers.
   Curr Pharm Des, 2023 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
4. ev-tominf-04 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials · n = 26 trials
   Also, only lycopene (WMD: ‒1.08 pg/ml, 95%CI: ‒2.03, ‒0.12, P = 0.027) led to a significant decrease in IL-6.
   
   Who: Participants of randomized clinical trials of carotenoid supplementation
   Effect: lycopene IL-6 WMD -1.08 pg/mL (95% CI -2.03 to -0.12); all carotenoids CRP -0.54 mg/L (95% CI -0.71 to -0.37)
   Certainty: About isolated lycopene in supplements, not tomatoes as food. Shows the direction for the main carotenoid of tomatoes.
   Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2022 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
5. ev-tominf-05 · Observational data · systematic review of cross-sectional and intervention studies, no pooling · n = 35 studies
   Most of the 17 included intervention studies reported increased circulating lycopene levels after tomato/lycopene supplementation, but almost no changes in inflammation biomarkers were observed.
   
   Who: Humans in 18 cross-sectional and 17 intervention studies measuring circulating lycopene
   Effect: cross-sectional: lower lycopene with inflammation; intervention: lycopene rose, inflammation biomarkers almost unchanged
   Certainty: Explains where the association "more lycopene, less inflammation" comes from: reverse direction. Without a meta-analysis, hence C.
   Molecules, 2020 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
6. ev-tominf-06 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized crossover trial, single meals (NCT02100774) · n = 39
   TPM reduced plasma tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, and C-C motif chemokine ligand (CCL)-2, and gene expression of TNFA, IL6, IL1B, and CCL5 in adipose tissue.
   
   Who: Thirty-nine healthy men
   Effect: lower plasma TNF-alpha, IL-6, CCL-2 and adipose TNFA, IL6, IL1B, CCL5 expression after the meal with 100 g tomato puree vs high-fat meal alone
   Certainty: Acute postprandial effect of one meal; says nothing about long-term influence.
   Mol Nutr Food Res, 2025 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
7. ev-tominf-07 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · open randomized crossover controlled trial, 4 weeks per arm, 21-day washout · n = 28
   Compared to C, concentration of ICAM-1, and VCAM-1 were significantly lower (p ˂ 0.001), after each TJ intervention.
   
   Who: 28 volunteers (mean age 69.7 years, mean BMI 31.5) at high cardiovascular risk
   Effect: ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 significantly lower after each tomato juice dose vs water (p < 0.001)
   Certainty: Open-label, small, control is water. Consistent with the direction of the meta-analyses.
   Mol Nutr Food Res, 2017 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
8. ev-tominf-08 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · double-blind randomized placebo-controlled crossover trial, 4 weeks · n = —
   In summary, supplementation with T-LPP over a 4-week period increased plasma carotenoid levels 73% and attenuated postexercise increases in the muscle damage biomarker myoglobin, but not inflammation and oxidative stress.
   
   Who: Endurance runners doing a 2-hour high-intensity run with 30 min of downhill running
   Effect: no treatment difference for CRP, six cytokines or DOMS; myoglobin rise lower with supplement (interaction p = .016)
   Certainty: Tomato complex supplement, not tomatoes. Null result for inflammation.
   Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 2018 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
9. ev-tominf-09 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized crossover trial, 4 weeks per arm, washout · n = 12
   IL-5, IL-12p70, and GM-CSF significantly decreased (p < 0.05), and TNF-α trended downward (p = 0.052) following tomato-soy.
   
   Who: Twelve healthy adults with obesity
   Effect: IL-5, IL-12p70, GM-CSF decreased (p < 0.05); TNF-alpha trend (p = 0.052) after tomato-soy juice
   Certainty: Very small N; the effect is mixed with soy isoflavones, so it says nothing about tomato separately.
   Mol Nutr Food Res, 2026 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
10. ev-tominf-10 · Observational data · single-arm clinical trial, single dose, no randomization · n = 22
    After the sofrito intake, a significant decrease in CRP (p = 0.010) and TNF-α (p = 0.011) was observed, but only TNF-α was inversely correlated with an increase in TPE and plasma β-carotene (not the major carotenoid, lycopene).
    
    Who: 22 healthy male subjects
    Effect: CRP decrease p = 0.010; TNF-alpha decrease p = 0.011 after a single 240 g/70 kg dose
    Certainty: No control group, hence C. The sauce is a mixture of ingredients; the effect is not only from tomatoes.
    Nutrients, 2019 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
11. ev-tominf-11 · Observational data · cross-sectional survey and multivariable-adjusted association analysis in cohort data · n = 12720
    There was positive association in the combined samples (β = 0.66 μmolL−1, P = 0.006) (Table 1).
    
    Who: 2051 New Zealanders with gout; ARIC, CHS and FHS European participants for the urate analysis
    Effect: serum urate beta = 0.66 umol/L per additional serve per week (95% CI 0.194 to 1.133), P = 0.006; 292 of 1447 (20.2%) with a food trigger named tomatoes
    Certainty: For people with gout: the link is small, triggering is not established, but biologically plausible. This is the real share of truth in "tomatoes harm the joints". N = 7517+2151+3052 for uric acid.
    BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 2015 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the fulltext
12. ev-tominf-12 · Observational data · retrospective descriptive cross-sectional study · n = 78
    The most common allergens were potato (21.8%), banana (15.4%), peach (14.1%), and tomato (12.8%).
    
    Who: 78 children with suspected allergic reactions to fruit or vegetables, median age 61.5 months
    Effect: tomato 12.8% of fruit/vegetable allergy cases; urticaria 75.6%, oral allergy syndrome 15.4%, anaphylaxis 1.3% across all foods
    Certainty: A true immune reaction to tomato exists, but it is rare and concerns people with allergy, not general "inflammation".
    Int Arch Allergy Immunol, 2024 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
13. ev-tominf-13 · Position of an expert body · regulatory decision on a health claim · n = —
    POL-HC-7531 Lycopene (from Tomato extract) lycopene is an antioxidant and helps to protect the body’s cells/helps to maintain intact body cells. Lycopene or a diet rich in lycopene helps to maintain intact cell DNA/contributes to healthy ageing by maintaining intact cell DNA/ Non-authorised
    
    Who: EU food labeling
    Effect: claim status: Non-authorized
    Certainty: No claim for tomato lycopene is authorized in the EU (16 "tomato", 28 "lycopene": all rejected in the 09/21 snapshot). Does not mean "does not work", means "the evidence was not enough".
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-7531, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the section