Scientists have at last unlocked the health-giving secret of the Mediterranean diet, which allows populations in Southern Europe to live up to 10 years longer than their northern counterparts.
After decades of research to establish which of the staple Mediterranean foods has the biggest effect, experiments have identified lycopene, a key nutrient in tomatoes, as a principal source of this health benefit. The latest research has shown that lycopene boosts the elasticity and efficiency of blood vessels, reducing the hardening of the arteries that occurs with age and improving blood flow.
The research team from Cambridge University has found that taking Ateronon, a newly developed version of modified lycopene, improves absorption of the compound into the blood to levels much higher than those naturally achieved by a Mediterranean diet. It was this modified lycopene nutraceutical, Ateronon, which was shown to improve the flexibility of blood vessels by up to 50%.
The 2 month study compared the effect of Ateronon on 36 patients with pre-existing heart disease, who were already taking cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, and 36 healthy volunteers. Both groups had an average age of 67 and comparable blood pressure readings, though those with heart disease already had demonstrable blood vessel damage.
Ateronon was shown to dramatically improve the function of the cells of the endothelium, the layer of cells lining the blood vessels, in the group of patients suffering from heart disease. Increasing blood lycopene levels boosted the endothelium’s sensitivity to nitric oxide, the gas that triggers the dilation of the blood vessels in response to exercise and demand for increased blood flow in healthy people. If the same results can be demonstrated in more patients, Ateronon could revolutionize the treatment of heart disease.
The results were described as 'very exciting indeed,' but the research team was anxious not to comment further on the findings ahead of publication of the full study in a scientific journal. However, Ian Wilkinson, director of Cambridge University’s clinical trials unit, who was also involved in the study, said the results suggested that Ateronon might slow down the worsening of symptoms in people already suffering from heart disease.
'We think these results are good news and potentially very significant, but we need more trials to see if they translate into fewer heart attacks and strokes,' he said. Peter Kirkpatrick, a leading Cambridge neurosurgeon with an interest in strokes and circulatory disease, is now medical adviser to CamNutra, the company that developed Ateronon and sponsored the Cambridge trial. 'It is too early to come to any firm conclusions, but the results from this trial are far better than anything we could have hoped for,' he said. This was a small group and we now need to confirm the findings in a much larger study population. Further studies of Ateronon are already under way at Harvard University in Boston, and more research is to be done in Britain.
Further studies
Plans are being drawn up for long-term trials involving hundreds of people to be able to do a large, wider-ranging comparison of the effects of Ateronon on the endothelial function of healthy people and those with pre-existing heart disease. David Fitzmaurice, professor of primary care clinical sciences at Birmingham University, has been asked to recruit patients for the trial through the university’s primary care research network.
'If this modified lycopene really does have an effect on endothelial function, then it could have a beneficial effect on virtually every inflammatory disease process, including conditions such as arthritis or diabetes,' he said. 'It is all highly speculative at this stage, but this [modified lycopene] might even slow down the development of cancer … which is also linked to inflammation.' If the results from the next round of trials are favourable, Ateronon could also offer an effective alternative to statin treatment for heart disease sufferers who cannot tolerate the cholesterol-lowering drug.
Until now, however, there has not been a way of improving the natural slow absorption of lycopene by the human body. Ateronon is the product of research originally done by the food multinational Nestlé, whose scientists discovered a way of modifying the lycopene compound to allow it to be readily taken up into the bloodstream. Nestlé has licensed the technology to CamNutra and remains a major shareholder. A spokesman said that they are monitoring the Ateronon research findings with interest.
Cardiovascular health
Mediterranean populations have always enjoyed a protective effect against heart disease from their diet, and dozens of researchers have already suggested that tomatoes may be the source of this protection; although, until now, an explanation of the mechanism involved has remained elusive.
Last year, however, a team from Athens University also published research indicating that tomato paste consumption could improve blood vessel tone, and similar recent findings have come from Germany. 'We think there could well be a benefit from lycopene on enthothelial function,' said Verena Stangl, professor of cardiology at Berlin University. Meanwhile, Boots the UK high street chemist, is understood to be working on a lycopene supplement of its own for launch next year, but it is not known if they have also come up with an alternative method of overcoming the stumbling block of how to improve its absorption by the human body.
Venkat Rao, emeritus professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto, who has led the world in the study of lycopene, said he welcomed the fact cardiologists are at last properly recognizing the role of diet and nutrition in preventing heart disease and investing in proper studies to explain the mechanisms involved.
'It is only in recent years that nutrition has been seen as an important enough discipline to merit study in medical school. In the past, it has been seen as a purely peripheral interest,' he said.
'We think lycopene could turn out to be very important indeed.' Heart and circulatory disease are the biggest causes of death and disease in Britain. Every year 180,000 die from heart attacks and 49,000 from strokes. Medication for sufferers costs a further £2 billion every year. As Ateronon is a naturally sourced food supplement, it has no known side-effects when taken as directed and can be taken alongside prescription medication too; however, it’s always best to consult your GP or pharmacist before taking if you have any questions.