Natural Hypertension Treatment Ames IA

Tomato Extract Eases Grade-1 Hypertension

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By James Keough

With blood pressure levels on the rise for far too many people, finding a drug-free way to keep them down near normal levels has gained increased urgency. Studies have found that the antioxidants in tomatoes—lycopene and the vitamins C and E—help protect the body from factors that cause cardiovascular disease. Now a small study in Israel suggests that an extract containing lycopene and several other compounds in tomatoes can have a significant impact on grade-1 hypertension—defined as systolic levels between 140 and 159 and diastolic between 90 and 99. The study gave standardized capsules of an extract called Lyc-O-Mato to 31 otherwise healthy individuals with just-diagnosed mild hypertension who did not take blood pressure medicine. The participants made no dietary or lifestyle changes during the study. Researchers bookended the eight-week extract trial with two four-week placebo periods and found that the extract lowered systolic levels by 10 points and diastolic by 4—both statistically significant amounts. Researchers reported no side effects from the extract—an important point, they say, because unpleasant side effects play a role in treatment failure with antihypertension drugs.

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