Love Your Lycopene

65 million people in the U.S. have high blood pressure. That's one out of every three adults. And with no symptoms, many are unaware they even have it - which is why it is often called "the silent killer." Most doctors treat hypertension with drugs - drugs that are expensive and carry significant risks. But new research shows there is a promising natural alternative - lycopene.

Numerous studies have shown that lycopene - a powerful antioxidant found in tomatoes - can protect against prostate cancer, breast cancer, and heart disease. And a recent trial published in the American Heart Journal suggests that it can lower blood pressure too.

Researchers studied the effects of a lycopene supplement called Lyc-O-Mato on 31 participants whose blood pressure was mildly elevated. (Unlike isolated lycopene, Lyc-O-Mato extracts and concentrates the entire complex of phytonutrients that are found in tomatoes.) The results indicated an average 10-point reduction in systolic blood pressure and a 9-point drop in diastolic pressure. The researchers considered this reduction to be significant.

You can find this inexpensive supplement in your local health food store or online.

- Jon Herring

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Word to the Wise: Putsch

"Putsch," a German word that literally means "thrust," is a secretly planned and suddenly executed attempt to overthrow a government. (The "u" is pronounced like the "u" in "push.")

Example (as used by Alan Jefferson in his biography Elisabeth Schwarzkopf): "Hitler operated from Munich where he enjoyed a fair degree of support, and it was here that his putsch took place in an effort to seize power in Bavaria."

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #1663, 02-27-06], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.