Tomato pill ’beats heart disease’ 番茄藥丸對抗心臟病

◎鄭寺音

Scientists say a natural supplement made from tomatoes, taken daily, can stave off heart disease and strokes.

科學家說，番茄製成的天然營養補充品，每天服用可遏止心臟病與中風。

The tomato pill contains an active ingredient from the Mediterranean diet - lycopene - that blocks "bad" LDL cholesterol that can clog the arteries.

這種番茄藥丸包含地中海飲食的主要成分茄紅素，可抑制會塞住動脈的壞膽固醇「低密度脂蛋白」。

Ateronon, made by a biotechnology spin-out company of Cambridge University, is being launched as a dietary supplement and will be sold on the high street.

劍橋大學的生物科技公司所製造的Ateronon，正以飲食補充品的姿態問世，並將在市面銷售。

Experts said more trials were needed to see how effective the treatment is.

專家說，這種療法的療效還需要更多測試。

Preliminary trials involving around 150 people with heart disease indicate that Ateronon can reduce the oxidation of harmful fats in the blood to almost zero within eight weeks.

以150名有心臟病的患者為對象的初步試驗結果顯示，Ateronon可在8週內將血中有害脂肪的氧化降到幾乎是零。

新聞辭典

stave off ：片語，擊退，趕走。例句：Death is natural and inevitable - we can’t stave it off forever. （死亡是自然且不可避免的事情，我們沒辦法永遠抗拒。）

block：動詞，阻擋，阻塞。例句：My view was blocked by a tall man in front of me.（我的視野被眼前一個高大的男人擋住了。）

clog：動詞，阻塞。例句：The roads are clogged with holiday traffic.（路上塞滿了度假車潮。）

high street：名詞，大街（指市鎮中最主要的街道）。