If you drink tomato juice made from traditionally raised vegetables, you may want to try taking vitamin supplements or drinking organic tomato-based beverages, since the latter have been shown to contain high levels of polyphenols.

These compounds reduce the oxidative damage caused by free radicals, which are charged ions emitted by the body’s natural cellular processes. A study appearing in the journal Food Chemistry announced that organically grown tomatoes tend to be richer in polyphenols due to differences in cultivation.

Specifically, researchers pointed to the nitrogen content of the soil used to grow tomatoes. Without fertilizer or manure to increase the amount of this element in the earth, tomato plants react by producing more polyphenols as a natural defense mechanism, the group theorized.

“As a result, conventionally grown plants can lose resistance to disease and present lower levels of nutrients, minerals and secondary metabolites,” lead author Anna Vallverdu-Queralt wrote.

Besides in organically grown tomatoes, polyphenols and other beneficial antioxidants may be found in vitamin supplements, as can dozens of important nutrients and minerals.