How your favourite condiment could ‘slash your risk of killer high blood pressure’

KETCHUP could help slash your risk of high blood pressure, a study suggests.

Scientists found eating the equivalent of one large tomato a day lowered someone's chances of getting the killer condition by up to 36 per cent.

The researchers wrote in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology: "Tomato consumption, including tomato-based products, is beneficial in preventing and managing hypertension.

"Higher tomato intake reduces hypertension risk by 36 per cent, and moderate consumption lowers blood pressure."

For three years, they followed 7,056 men and women aged 55 to 80, 5,821 of whom had high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart attack, heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, vascular dementia and aneurysms.

Participants were put into four groups depending on their tomato consumption - less than 44g, between 44g and 82g, 82g to 110g, and more than 110g.

A handful of cherry tomatoes, one large tomato, or a quarter of a tin of chopped tomatoes weighs about 110g.

The team, from the University of Barcelona, discovered that those who ate more tomato-based products had a lower risk of hypertension.

This included raw tomato, tomato sauce and gazpacho - a cold, raw vegetable soup.

Though not mentioned in the study, it could apply to ketchup - though you might have to eat quite a lot of it - and it's important to note some brands have a high sugar content, which has its own health consequences.

More than 110g of tomatoes a day lowered someone's overall hypertension risk by up to 36 per cent.

For those who already had high blood pressure, especially patient's whose readings only just tipped them into this category, even moderate tomato consumption was associated with a fall in blood pressure.

The authors credited an organic compound called lycopene for the health benefits.

Rosa María Lamuela-Raventós, director of the Research Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety, said: "The cardioprotective mechanisms involved in the reduction of blood pressure may in part be attributed to the presence of lycopene in tomatoes."

Co-author Lamuela-Raventós added: "Lycopene, the most plentiful carotenoid in tomato, does not only reduce the angiotensin-converting enzyme and its gene expression, preventing the synthesis of angiotensin 2, but also promotes the generation of nitric oxide in the endothelium [cells that line the blood vessels] — helping lower blood pressure and improving blood flow."

Potassium may also play a role, as it has been found to help counter the damaging effects of salt in people with high blood pressure.

A medium-sized fresh tomato contains about 290milligrams of potassium and 4milligrams of lycopene, while a bowl of tomato soup contains around 25milligrams of lycopene and 280milligrams of potassium, based on USDA estimates.

Other lycopene and potassium-rich foods include watermelon, apricots and cranberries, and bananas, sweet potatoes and mushrooms.