A daily dose of tomato helps lower blood pressure. It works for both men and women and is most effective when the blood pressure is only mildly elevated
The supplement contains several chemical compounds found in tomatoes. It is branded with the name Lyc-O-Mato.
The researchers studied adults aged 30 to 70 years with mildly elevated blood pressure - none higher than 160/100.
Those in the study took an inactive placebo capsule each day for four weeks. After that time they were given a tomato extract capsule every day for eight weeks. Finally, they spent another four weeks on placebo capsules.
During the treatment period, the group's average systolic blood pressure fell from 144 to 134 mm Hg, while their diastolic pressure dipped from 87.4 to 83.4 mm Hg. Further analysis suggested that it was the Lyc-o-mat's antioxidant activity that was lowering the blood pressure.
The main antioxidant in the lyc-o-mat tomato extract is lycopene. Other previous studies have suggested that it might be helpful against heart disease. The research leader thinks that the antioxidant effects of the tomato extract may explain its apparent benefit on blood pressure.
Could you simply eat the tomatoes and get the same benefit? Possibly.
You would need to eat four medium tomatoes every day to get the same amount of lycopene as is in one lyc-o-mat capsule. The oil content of the capsule also probably helps you to absorb the antioxidant chemicals.
More research is needed but for now this all sounds very promising
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