Don't go nuts for tomato pill says heart charity

The British Heart Foundation is urging caution over claims made for a new natural supplement made from tomatoes.

The media are very excited about a 'tomato pill' containing an active ingredient from the Mediterranean diet - lycopene – which, it appears, can block 'bad' LDL cholesterol that can clog the arteries causing heart disease and strokes.

Ateronon, made by a biotechnology company attached to Cambridge University, harnesses the lycopene from tomatoes and is being launched as a dietary supplement to be sold on the high street.

But at the 2009 British Cardiac Society conference, Professor Peter Weissberg, Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation said: 'As always, we caution people to wait for any new drug or modified natural product to be clinically proven to offer benefits before taking it. It will take some time, and several clinical trials, to provide such evidence for Ateronon.'

Eat real tomatoes

It's true that unlike some miracle medices, this one, given that it is basically tomatoes, probably won't do you any harm but it's no substitute for good quality proper food.

Weissberg says: 'Our advice to heart disease patients or those at high risk is to rely on proven medications prescribed by their doctor, and aim to get the benefits of a Mediterranean diet by eating plenty of fresh fruit and veg.'

The British Heart Foundation supported some of the basic science at Cambridge University underpinning the development of this product over a decade ago and, as such, could benefit from its commercialisation.