'Tomato pill' hope for stopping heart disease
Posted: 10 Jun 2014, 09:27'Tomato pill' hope for stopping heart disease
By Michelle Roberts Health editor.
Taking a tomato pill a day could help keep heart disease at bay, say UK scientists who have carried out a small but robust study.
The trial, which tested the tomato pill versus a dummy drug in 72 adults, found it improved the functioning of blood vessels.
But experts say more studies are needed to prove it really works.
The pill contains lycopene, a natural antioxidant that also gives tomatoes their colour.
Experts have suspected for some time that lycopene might be good for avoiding illnesses, including certain cancers and cardiovascular disease.
There is some evidence that eating a Mediterranean-style diet, which is rich in tomatoes (as well as other fruit and vegetables and olive oil), is beneficial for health.
Following a healthy diet is still advisable but scientists have been researching whether there is a way to put at least some of this good stuff into an easy-to-take pill.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-27762995
By Michelle Roberts Health editor.
Taking a tomato pill a day could help keep heart disease at bay, say UK scientists who have carried out a small but robust study.
The trial, which tested the tomato pill versus a dummy drug in 72 adults, found it improved the functioning of blood vessels.
But experts say more studies are needed to prove it really works.
The pill contains lycopene, a natural antioxidant that also gives tomatoes their colour.
Experts have suspected for some time that lycopene might be good for avoiding illnesses, including certain cancers and cardiovascular disease.
There is some evidence that eating a Mediterranean-style diet, which is rich in tomatoes (as well as other fruit and vegetables and olive oil), is beneficial for health.
Following a healthy diet is still advisable but scientists have been researching whether there is a way to put at least some of this good stuff into an easy-to-take pill.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-27762995