Tomato pill could help reduce risk of heart attacks

New study suggests that a pill, containing the chemical found in tomato skin, could help improve people’s health

15:08 07 January 2013

A new study is suggesting that a tomato pill could help combat heart attacks as well as strokes, according to scientists. The reason being is that the pill contains a chemical that can help tackle ‘fat’ in people’s arteries.

The pill is going by the name of Ateronon, and it includes a chemical called lycopene which has been said can help clear blocked arteries in our bodies. Lycopene is also the reason why tomatoes are the colour of red.

Results have been collected from a trial that was carried out where 36 people with heart disease, as well as 36 people who were thought to be healthy, ingested the pill. The trial lasted for around eight weeks.

Researchers say that the pill helped to improve the flow of blood, as well as improve the lining of blood vessels.

Director of the Clinical Trials Unit at Cambridge University, Ian Wilkinson, said: “We think these results are good news and potentially very significant, but we need more trials to see if they translate into fewer heart attacks and strokes.”

The Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, Mike Knapton, also said: “Although this small study showed that lycopene improved blood flow in people with heart disease, that's a long way from demonstrating that taking lycopene could improve outcomes for people with heart disease.”

It is understood however, that before it is decided whether the pill can help reduce strokes and heart attacks, there needs to be more research carried out.

Based on reports, some individuals think this new pill could be taken as an alternative to statins for those people suffering heart disease who are unable to take the cholesterol-lowering drug.

 

There are some claims that see the Ateronon pill as being able to help combat cancer, although again, the results are not fully clear.