Abstract
BackgroundMost studies focused on the benefits of lycopene on serum lipids but no studies have been specifically designed to assess the role of a tomato sauce from vine-ripened tomatoes on patients affected by polygenic hypercholesterolemia. The aim of this study was to compare the lipid-lowering effect of a novel functional tomato sauce with a well-known functional food with a lipid-lowering effect, i.e. a sterol-enriched yogurt.MethodsIn this cross-over study, we evaluated a population of 108 ambulatory patients affected by polygenic hypercholesterolemia of both gender, who were allocated to a tomato sauce (namely OsteoCol) 150 ml/day or a sterol-enriched yogurt (containing sterols 1.6 g/die) treatment, for 6 weeks. Carotenoids content was 3.5 mg per gram of product. We measured serum lipids and creatinine and transaminases at basal and follow-up visit.ResultsA total of 91 subjects completed the protocol. A significant difference in LDL-cholesterol change was found between participants taking yogurt, tomato sauce (high adherence) and tomato sauce (low adherence) (− 16; − 12; + 8 mg/dl respectively; p < 0.001). We found a greater LDL-cholesterol reduction in the participants with a basal LDL-cholesterol more than 152 mg/dl (15% for sterol-enriched yogurt and 12% for tomato sauce at high adherence).ConclusionA novel functional tomato sauce from vine-ripened tomatoes compares favourably with a commercialised sterol-enriched yogurt in term of absolute LDL-cholesterol change. Intake of a tomato sauce with a high carotenoid content may support treatment of patients affected by common hypercholesterolemia. The present study has various limitations. The presence of other dietary components, which may have influenced the results, cannot be ruled out. Of course, these results cannot be extrapolated to other populations. Furthermore, there was a low adherence rate in the tomato sauce group. Moreover, we did not report serum carotenoids data.Trial registration: ID: 13244115 on the ISRCTN registry, retrospectively registered in 2019-5-14. URL: http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN13244115
Highlights
Most studies focused on the benefits of lycopene on serum lipids but no studies have been designed to assess the role of a tomato sauce from vine-ripened tomatoes on patients affected by polygenic hypercholesterolemia
It has been demonstrated that β-carotene regulates the expression of the HMG-CoA reductase enzyme in rat liver [4], both β-carotene and lycopene have been reported to inhibit macrophage HMG-CoA reductase activity [5] and fucoxanthin, a marine carotenoid, modulates both the HMGCoA reductase and acyl-coenzyme A [3], all resulting in the inhibition of cholesterol synthesis
Our study investigated the effects of a tomato sauce from vine-ripened tomatoes on lipids in individuals affected by common hypercholesterolemia
Summary
Most studies focused on the benefits of lycopene on serum lipids but no studies have been designed to assess the role of a tomato sauce from vine-ripened tomatoes on patients affected by polygenic hypercholesterolemia. Dietary carotenoid intake as well as the intake of specific carotenoids (such as α- and β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin and lycopene) have been inversely associated with coronary heart disease, stroke, and mortality [2]. Blood carotenoid concentrations have been inversely associated with cardiovascular disease, total cancer, and all-cause mortality [2]. It has been found that at least 25 mg per day of lycopene (obtained through both diet and supplementation) elicit beneficial health effects, helping lower total cholesterol levels by an average of 8 mg/dl [6]. Consumption of astaxanthin 6 and 12 mg/day significantly increased serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) versus baseline, and doses of 12 and 18 mg/day significantly decreased serum triglyceride levels [8]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
