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Lycopene – a powerful antioxidant found in tomatoes – could help the battle against high cholesterol and high blood pressure that is faced by 2.5 million people in Britain, reducing the risk of heart attacks and stroke, especially if the tomatoes are cooked as the body is more easily able to absorb lycopene this way.

A study in Australia found that cooked tomatoes can offer the same benefits as statins – the class of drug commonly prescribed for these conditions. Results are best if patients consume either a pint of tomato juice per day, or 50g tomato puree.

Tomato puree is very rich in lycopene, which can easily be incorporated into pasta sauces, pizza toppings and family favourites such as ragu bolognese and chilli con carne.

Lycopene is also found in watermelon, guava, papaya, pink grapefruit, apricots and rosehip but in lower concentrations.

Delia Online editor Jo Hill recently attended the launch of a drink that also has been proven in trials to reduce the risk of heart attack by thinning the blood platelets – a relief to the 33.4% of the British population that worries most about their hearth health. Sirco is the first and only 100% pure fruit juice scientifically proven to help maintain cardiovascular health and benefit circulation of the blood, a huge bonus to those people wishing to help reduce or prevent heart and circulation problems.

Even after the first 250ml glass of Sirco (which contains just 3g of the tomato extract, which means the flavour isn’t dominated by tomato!), the blood platelets are smoothed, and the effect lasts for 18 hours, making it an excellent natural alternative to aspirin. TV doctor Hilary Jones explains that many people recognise that cholesterol furs and causes narrowing of the arteries, but what they don’t realise is that blood clots caused by platelet aggregation (stickiness) are what cause potentially fatal heart attacks and stroke.

How does Sirco do this? It contains Fruitflow, a natural ingredient from tomatoes that helps maintain smooth platelets and works within 1.5-3 hours of drinking. What’s more, Sirco counts as one of your five a day! In fact, Fruitflow is the first and only ingredient to receive scientific substantiation for a heart health claim from the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA).

Sirco is available in two refreshingly delicious flavours: Blueberry & Apple and Pomegranate and Orange – drink some at breakfast time in place of your usual juice if you’re concerned about your heart health. Around £1.99 per litre for Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Holland & Barratt, Ocado and Amazon. Smaller 250ml bottles cost about £1.14.

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