Revolutionary New Supplement ‘Tomato Pill’ Ateronon Launched
A leading nutrition expert has welcomed the launch of a potentially revolutionary heart disease treatment which offers people around the world the hope of combating the killer disease atherosclerosis.
Nutritional therpaist Lisa Smith, from Nutriology in Kent, said the launch of Ateronon, the natural supplement developed by Cambridge scientists, was a huge breakthrough in the treatment of heart disease related illnesses.
Dozens of studies and research projects have shown that lycopene – found in the skins of ripe tomatoes – has the capacity to significantly reduce atherosclerosis. Lycopene is the potent antioxidant isolated for health-promoting properties from the Mediterranean diet.
Lisa Smith said that until now, scientists had been unable to find a way of modifying lycopene molecules so they can be readily absorbed into the human body.
Researchers from Cambridge Theranostics Limited (CTL), a biotech spin-out company of Cambridge University, have now proved they have done it with their new Ateronon compound.
She added: “The potential impact of this new supplement is huge. If we have something here that reduces the oxidation of harmful fats or lipids in the blood to almost zero within as little as eight weeks, then we have a life saver.
“We might see a fall in the number of people suffering heart attacks, strokes and other problems relating to arterial damage and the clogging up of the arteries. That has to be welcomed.”Results from their early trials involving 150 people with heart disease were made public for the first time at the British Cardiovascular Society annual conference in London on Monday (1st June).
The Ateronon formulation combines lycopene with milk and soy-based proteins to produce a much smaller, and more bio-available molecule. The early studies have shown that Ateronon can inhibit the oxidation of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol to almost zero within eight weeks.
An estimated 17.5 million people died from heart and circulatory diseases in 2005, representing 30% of all global deaths. Of these deaths, an estimated 7.6 million were due to coronary heart disease and 5.7 million were due to stroke.
More than 117,000 people die each year in the UK from coronary heart disease. It accounts for one in five deaths in men and one in six deaths in women. The four million people who take statins in the UK to help lower their cholesterol and chances of suffering a heart attack or stroke could benefit from using Ateronon. The product can be taken alongside statins.
Although cholesterol does put people at risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke, half of all heart attacks and three quarters of all strokes occur in people who do not have raised cholesterol.
Large scale studies are now being undertaken at Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge, and at Harvard Medical School, in the expectation that they will demonstrate that the reduction of LDL oxidation is translated into improved heart and circulatory health –and improved survival rates.
The study was built on research originally carried out by the giant food multi-national Nestle, who were looking for a way to capture the therapeutic benefits of the tomato-derived compound lycopene.
After its launch to doctors this month, Ateronon willl be made available direct to consumers through high street pharmacists from July onwards.
Dr Gunter Schmidt, a biologist and chief executive of CTL, said he was confident that once doctors had observed the benefits of Ateronon, they would instantly see the benefits.
He said: “We are extremely excited about Ateronon. We have 10 worldwide patents recognising its efficacy, but we want its capabilities to be taken very seriously by clinicians as well. We don’t want it dismissed as just another food supplement.”
Alongside the development of Ateronon, Ivan Petyaev, a senior cardiologist and Medical Director of CTL, has invented an important new assay as a consequence of research from a project originally funded with a grant from the British Heart Foundation (BHF).
The BHF project was investigating the role of bacteria in the development of atherosclerotic plaque. It is known that Chlamydia pneumoniae bacteria are always present in the circulatory systems of heart disease sufferers, and Petyaev has developed an innovation called the AtheroAbzyme kit, which detects antibodies to the bacteria.
The level of antibody activity is in direct proportion to the level of atherosclerotic activity, and the test can give an accurate picture of the progress of the disease – and most importantly, the effect of Ateronon in controlling it.
“What we have done is to develop a method of delivering something which is of known benefit, and a method of measuring what it is doing,” Dr Petyaev added.
For further information go to www.ateronon.com.