Tomato intake in relation to mortality and morbidity among sudanese children

The intake of foods that contain high levels of antioxidants may counteract the adverse effects of oxidative stress and lead to improved immune functi on and reduced risk of infectious disease. We prospectively examined the re lationship between the consumption of tomatoes, a rich source of antioxidan ts, and mortality and diarrheal and respiratory morbidity rates among 28,75 3 children who were 6-60 mo old and enrolled in a longitudinal study in the Sudan. Children in each household were visited every 6 mo for a maximum of four visits. At each round, mothers recalled whether a child had consumed tomatoes in the previous 24 h. Events (death or morbidity) reported at each round were prospectively allocated according to the number of days of toma to intake. Intake of tomatoes for 2 or 3 d compared with none was associate d, respectively, with 48% (relative risk, 0.53; 95% confidence interval, 0. 30-0.91) and 83% (0.17; 0.04-0.72) reductions in morality rates (P for tren d = 0.002). The association between tomato use and death remained statistic ally significant (P for trend = 0.004), even after further adjustment for t otal vitamin A intake. Tomato intake was also associated with a reduced ris k of death associated with diarrhea in the week preceding death (P for tren d = 0.009) or fever (P for trend = 0.04). Intake of tomatoes was also inver sely and significantly associated with the risks of diarrheal and respirato ry infections. Our data suggest that tomatoes may be beneficial for child h ealth but also emphasize the general importance of food-based approaches to the prevention of micronutrient malnutrition and protection of the health of children in developing countries.