gmb45
2nd June, 2009, 05:11 AM
Heart experts claim they have devised a pill with all the health benefits of tomatoes which could save hundreds of lives.
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."
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."