TOMATO EXTRACT REDUCES

BLOOD PRESSURE

Two papers from Israel have now appeared which employed a tomato extract in capsule form to lower blood pressure. The first was a pilot study on untreated hypertensives which appeared in 2005. This has now been followed by a study of the use of this extract on uncontrolled hypertensives.

In the study on untreated hypertensives, systolic blood pressure (SBP) decreased from 144 to 134 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) decreased from 87.4 to 83.4. These are mean values for 31 patients and were compared to a placebo phase with the same group where there was no significant change in blood pressure. In the second study, 50 subjects with moderate hypertension being treated with one or two antihypertensive drugs were entered into a double blind cross-over program with two periods of 6 weeks. At the end of the 6 weeks period, the tomato extract group was switched to the placebo, and the placebo switched to the tomato extract.

Those on the tomato extract had a decrease in blood pressure which then rose back to near baseline when they went on the placebo. The reverse occurred when blood pressure remained constant during the placebo phase and then declined on the tomato extract.

These studies are certainly hypothesis generating.
International Health News