BEER-SHEVA, Israel—Consumption of tomato lycopene lowers blood
pressure in individuals with hypertension, according to new research conducted
at Ben-Gurion University, Israel, and presented at the American Society of
Hypertension’s 20th Annual Scientific Meeting and Exposition.
In a randomized, double blind, placebocontrolled crossover trial, Esther
Paran, M.D., evaluated the effect of tomato extract (as Lyc-OMato ®, from
LycoRed Ltd.) on blood pressure, endothelial function and plasma lycopene levels
in grade I hypertensive patients. Daily intake of tomato extract was linked to a
significant drop in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure after eight weeks
of supplementation.
“The results of this study are particularly important because our subjects
had previously been unsuccessful at lowering their blood pressure using one or
two drug methods,” Paran said. “We attribute the reduction in blood pressure to the
antioxidant activity of the tomato extract Lyc-O-Mato and the increase in nitric
oxide. Eating a diet rich in tomato products and other antioxidant-containing
fruits and vegetables is certainly a smart move. But, a person would need to
consume about five tomatoes to get the nutrients in one tomato extract capsule.”
BEER-SHEVA, Israel—Consumption of tomato lycopene lowers blood
pressure in individuals with hypertension, according to new research conducted
at Ben-Gurion University, Israel, and presented at the American Society of
Hypertension’s 20th Annual Scientific Meeting and Exposition.
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