Adults with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease who ate roughly two raw tomatoes plus tomato sauce each day experienced a larger reduction in liver fat than participants avoiding tomatoes, according to a six-week Italian trial using FibroScan imaging.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A common kitchen staple may have a measurable effect on liver fat, according to a new Italian trial examining daily tomato consumption in adults with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, or MASLD.
Researchers enrolled 79 adults with diagnosed fatty liver disease and divided them into two groups for six weeks. One group added 200 grams of raw tomatoes — approximately two medium tomatoes — along with 50 grams of tomato sauce to their usual diet each day, while the comparison group avoided tomatoes and otherwise maintained its existing habits.
By the end of the trial, the tomato group showed a substantially larger reduction in liver fat as measured by FibroScan, a noninvasive imaging technology used to assess hepatic steatosis.
The median liver fat score in participants eating tomatoes declined by 35 points from baseline.
Among those following the tomato-free diet, the median reduction was 18 points.
After researchers adjusted for potential confounding factors, the tomato group still maintained a 26-point advantage.
The results are notable because participants were not instructed to reduce calories or increase physical activity during the intervention, allowing researchers to more closely examine the possible contribution of the tomatoes themselves.
The study does not establish that tomatoes can cure fatty liver disease, and longer trials are needed to determine whether the changes persist or translate into reduced risk of fibrosis, cirrhosis or other liver complications.
Still, the findings suggest that a relatively modest dietary modification may complement established lifestyle approaches to MASLD.
The study also differs from research relying primarily on liver enzymes or other indirect blood markers.
Investigators measured liver fat with FibroScan, an ultrasound-based technology capable of directly estimating fat accumulation within the liver.
That allowed researchers to identify changes in hepatic steatosis during the relatively short six-week intervention.
MASLD occurs when excess fat accumulates in the liver alongside at least one cardiometabolic risk factor, such as obesity or high blood pressure.
The condition can remain unnoticed for years because many people experience few or no symptoms during its earlier stages.
When symptoms do occur, fatigue and abdominal discomfort can be vague and easily attributed to other conditions.
Over time, persistent liver fat can progress in some people to inflammation, fibrosis and eventually cirrhosis.
The liver performs hundreds of essential functions, including processing nutrients and medications and helping remove or transform substances before they circulate throughout the body.
Despite that central role, fatty liver disease often receives less routine attention than measures such as cholesterol or blood pressure.
Its prevalence has also increased substantially.
One global analysis cited in the report estimated that MASLD cases rose 143% since 1990, reaching approximately 1.3 billion people in 2023, with projections suggesting as many as 1.8 billion people could be affected by 2050.
Those trends have increased interest in inexpensive dietary approaches that could be adopted before advanced liver damage develops.
Tomatoes are of particular interest because they contain lycopene, a carotenoid pigment responsible for much of their red color.
Previous research has examined lycopene in connection with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and other metabolic conditions.
The Italian trial combined raw tomatoes with cooked tomato sauce, which may be important because lycopene becomes more bioavailable after cooking.
Raw tomatoes provide numerous nutrients, but lycopene is generally absorbed more efficiently from cooked and processed tomato products.
Because lycopene is fat-soluble, eating tomatoes with dietary fat may further improve absorption.
Pairing tomato products with foods such as extra virgin olive oil is therefore one practical way to incorporate both cooked tomato and a source of fat into a meal.
The intervention itself did not require specialized supplements or concentrated extracts.
Participants consumed ordinary food quantities: 200 grams of raw tomato and 50 grams of sauce each day.
That makes the approach relatively easy to reproduce through salads, sauces, soups and other meals.
Researchers also suggested choosing ripe tomatoes or canned tomato products without unnecessary added sugar or sodium when possible.
A simple homemade tomato sauce, for example, can provide a concentrated source of cooked tomato without requiring a commercial supplement.
The findings should not be interpreted to mean that tomatoes alone can reverse MASLD.
Weight management, overall diet quality, physical activity, blood-sugar control and management of other cardiometabolic risk factors remain important components of fatty liver care.
Individual treatment also depends on the severity of disease and a person’s broader medical condition.
What the trial does show is that one inexpensive dietary addition was associated with a measurable difference in liver fat over just six weeks.
The magnitude of that difference — a median 35-point decline in the tomato group compared with 18 points in the control group, and a 26-point adjusted advantage — suggests the intervention deserves further study.
Longer and larger trials will be needed to determine whether daily tomato consumption produces sustained reductions in hepatic fat and whether those improvements ultimately affect the risk of progressive liver disease.
For now, the research adds to evidence that ordinary whole foods may play a meaningful role alongside broader lifestyle changes in managing metabolic liver disease.
For people already diagnosed with MASLD, adding tomatoes to a balanced diet may represent a practical complementary strategy, but researchers emphasized that individualized dietary and medical guidance should still come from a healthcare professional.
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