Tomato Pill Aims To Tackle Heart Disease
10:54am UK, Monday June 01, 2009
Heart experts claim they have devised a pill with all the health benefits of tomatoes which could save hundreds of lives.
A pill containing a key ingredient of tomatoes is developed by scientists
Scientists say they have found a way to put all the goodness of the antioxidants in the skin of ripe tomatoes into a tablet that can slash cholesterol levels.
The new pill, called Ateronon, has been developed by Cambridge University subsidiary Cambridge Theranostics Ltd and could be on sale in high street pharmacists from July onwards for as little as £1 a day.
It was being launched at the conference of the British Cardiovascular Society in London and chief executive Gunter Schmidt said: "This has the potential to affect everybody. We are very excited about it."
Ripe tomato skins contain a substance called lycopene, which is thought to protect against cancer, heart disease and strokes.
Mediterranean-style diets are rich in tomatoes and people from the region have much lower rates of heart disease than other parts of the world.
Pill could be on sale soon
But lycopene cannot be absorbed by the body unless it has been broken down before being eaten, such as when tomatoes are cooked and processed.
Ateronon is developed from a lycopene and contains other compounds found in natural foods.
The manufacturers claim that in tests on 150 people suffering from heart disease, it appeared effective on all of them.
Heart attacks and cardiovascular disease kill 200,000 people in Britain before the age of 75.
Neuroscientist Peter Kirkpatrick will lead a further research project at Cambridge's Addenbrookes Hospital.
He said the new treatment could be "much more effective" than the current treatment of statins, which are ineffective in almost two-thirds of people.
But critics say the drug has still to undergo full clinical trials.
Sky News health correspondent Thomas Moore said: "The manufacturers of Ateronon may well have condensed all the goodness in a tomato into an easy-to-take pill.
"But until they have done proper clinical trials there is no proof that it will make you live longer and healthier.
"The pill costs more than £1 a day - and you can buy a lot of tomatoes for that. They probably taste better too."
Tomato pill that cleans arteries
A new health pill based on tomatoes could 'save lives on a global basis' by drastically unclogging the fat from arteries, scientists say.
Ateronon, launched today in Britain, is said to offer the benefits of a Mediterranean diet, which is known to prevent heart disease and strokes.
The supplement, which uses lycopene, a chemical found in the skin of ripe tomatoes, has been shown to wipe out nearly all harmful fats in the blood within eight weeks. Now, it is being clinically tested to see if it can even reverse heart disease as well as preventing it.
Latest news bulletinTV doctor Rob Hicks predicted it could 'potentially extend life and also possibly save lives on a global basis'.
Lycopene has long been known as a powerful anti-oxidant which controls cholesterol by stopping fats breaking up in the blood. Ateronon, which will cost £35 a month when it goes on sale this month, is being hailed as a breakthrough because, unlike the natural form, it is easy to absorb.
Each pill is the equivalent of eating three kilos of ripe tomatoes a day.
It has been developed by Cambridge University spin-off Cambridge Theranostics Ltd and will be launched today at a medical conference in London.
CTL's chief executive Gunter Schmidt said: 'We are anxious that its capabilities are taken seriously by doctors and it is not dismissed as just another food supplement.'
A year-long trial to see if it can reverse the effects of heart disease in 200 patients will begin shortly at Harvard.
A British study will also look at its use for brain haemorrhage patient.
But the British Tomato Growers Association, warned: 'There's far more evidence for the benefits of nutrient-rich natural food than there is for any dietary supplement.'
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