Did the Italians have it right with putting tomato sauce on every food ? Wed do know that oxidative stress and inflammation play a role in the development of hypertension. Current drugs used to treat hypertension have been associated with some adverse effects. Alternative and complementary treatments for blood pressure control include lifestyle and dietary modifications, especially inclusion of additional fruits and vegetable. This has been well studied with the Mediterranean dietary lifestyle.
Tomatoes contain lycopene which has been written about for its use for prostate disease. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum, Solanaceae) carotenoids such as lycopene, phytoene, and phytofluene promote the antioxidant defense mechanism. This has been well understood and documented. A Tomatoe Nutrient Complex ( TNC) was prepared and given to patients in a study. This study was published in the American Botanical Council HerbalGram. There was a reduction in blood pressure
Patients in the 15 and 30 mg TNC groups had significant reductions in SBP from weeks 2 to 8 . It was concluded that there are variations in lycopene levels and more studies need to be done. I feel this is a great beginning and more studies using fruits and vegetables to treat hypertension should be done