Tomato extract lycopene relieves damaged arteries, says study

A substance found in tomatoes relieves impairment of blood vessels, which may explain why people who eat a Mediterranean diet have a notably reduced incidence of cardiovascular disease, according to a study.

A supplement of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant which is 10 times more potent than vitamin E, improved and normalised function of the endothelium (the inner lining of blood vessels) in volunteers with cardiovascular disease, researchers from the University of Cambridge found.

Dr Joseph Cheriyan, consultant clinical pharmacologist at Addenbrooke's hospital and associate lecturer at Cambridge, said: "There's a wealth of research that suggests the Mediterranean diet - which includes lycopene found in tomatoes and other fruit as a component - is good for our cardiovascular health. But so far, it's been a mystery what the underlying mechanisms could be."

For the study, published in the online scientific journal PLoS One, researchers gave 36 cardiovascular disease patients, who were all on statins but had impaired function of the endothelium, and 36 healthy volunteers either Ateronon (an off-the-shelf supplement containing 7mg of lycopene) or a placebo treatment. Endothelial function predicts future events, so having a healthy endothelium is an important factor in preventing the evolution of heart disease.

It was conducted as a double blind trial, which meant that neither study participants nor the researchers knew which treatment was being provided.

They found that the lycopene supplement worked in the patients, improving the widening of the blood vessels by 53 per cent after placebo correction, but not in the healthy volunteers.