Could tomato pips protect you from a heart attack?By Jerome Burne

A syrup extracted from tomato pips is the latest treatment for preventing blood clots.
As well as cutting the risk of heart attacks and stroke, the food supplement may have advantages over a standard drug treatment, low-dose aspirin.
Aspirin is taken by millions of otherwise healthy people to thin their blood and lower the risk of dangerous clots.

Healthy: Syrup extract from tomato pips could help prevent blood clots
However, last week a major analysis found that unless you have a history of heart trouble, the benefits of taking it are outweighed by the raised risk of internal bleeding.
Basically, healthy people should not be taking aspirin as a preventative.
Unlike aspirin, the new tomato treatment, Fruitflow, doesn't cause bleeding. Its effects also last just 18 hours - compared with ten days for aspirin.
This is important because it makes the effects more easily reversible: if you suffer an injury or need surgery, doctors have to quickly restore normal clotting to prevent excessive blood loss.
Both Fruitflow and aspirin work by tackling platelets, tiny cells in the blood.
Normally these platelets are smooth, but inflammation in the blood vessels - linked to smoking, high cholesterol and stress - causes them to become spiky.
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They then clump together, forming clots (a process known as platelet aggregation).
Aspirin strongly blocks one set of signals that causes this to happen. Fruitflow more gently damps down three others - this is enough to reduce the risk of clotting.
The treatment itself is extracted from the jelly surrounding tomato seeds.
It was discovered by Professor Asim Duttaroy ten years ago when he was working as a research scientist at the Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health in Aberdeen.
He was searching for an effective anti-clotting chemical in plants, so he 'bought every type of fruit and vegetable in Aberdeen and tested them'.
Garlic and hemp seeds are also said to have blood-thinning properties
He discovered a chemical in tomatoes that has a milder but broader effect than aspirin.

Unfortunately eating lots of tomatoes doesn't have the same benefit.
'We've tested that and it doesn't work - you can't absorb enough fast enough for it to have an effect,' says Professor Duttaroy.

There are a number of other natural products, such as garlic and hemp seeds, that are said to have a blood-thinning effect.
But Fruitflow is the first to have been approved by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), which means its developers can make EU-authorised health claims, such as that it improves blood flow and circulation.
Fruitflow is not suitable for people who already have heart disease because they need their blood clotting ability to be more strongly controlled.
The product, which was developed by Provexis, is designed to be used by manufacturers as an additive in foods, such as juices, margarines and yoghurts, without affecting their taste.
Currently, it is used in Sirco fruit juice available in some supermarkets (costing between £1 and £2).
'If the EFSA have said Fruitflow is effective, we are happy to accept that it is,' says Ursula Arens of the British Dietetic Association.
'Many people find it hard to make radical changes to their diet to protect their hearts, so if there is an easily accessible food product that lowers the risk we welcome that.'
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Health Concerns of IT & BPO Workers

The Information technology and The BPO industry has made a tremendous change in the over all image of our country and its contribution to the Global IT and BPO services. This sector has together given India a prime spot in the global IT and BPO sector where quality work with reliability can be obtained. Indians by nature get easily adapted to the changing needs of technology and it has its response in the share of contribution to the global IT and BPO services.
The fact that most of leading Global IT and Computer giants has established a spot in India is recognition for our quality and economy compared to global rates for the companies concerned. For Indians the level of income from these sectors have been astounding.
Yes now it is accepted fact that if u ask any one, most of then( parents ) or Students will say that they want their siblings to pursue the above fields as a career. It is true that these sectors have changed the financial and economic status of Indians who have now more money for spending.
This also has made the cost of things form housing to food to hospital or what ever it may be, to spiral up in this country and the politicians and business sector has really utilized this with the present situation of high inflation and money value coming down. The business may call it as a positive trend and it may be correct but the person who is earning knows the difficulty and it also creates the situation of experiencing lot of money at the age of 20+ puts the youngsters in a real up mood.
Now the benefits of IT-BPO industry brought to India is something that has put India on a global position as a service provider.
The other side of the rosy IT-BPO industry is that it has a different culture and lifestyle that has changed the gears in the life of Indians. Particularly the health of our people working as long hours, stress, meeting dead lines, junk food and the global corporate culture and a total profit oriented attitude has resulted in a lot of health issues and life issues that has affected the industry with increasing attrition rates which the companies are trying to arrest and which will be difficult for the companies also.
The attrition rate is one aspect of the problem but how many has the detrimental of the new culture and life style- “air conditioned life without sun” , yes I mean it because the person leaves home before sunrises and returns by late night and for the BPO staff it is just a regular disturbance of their biological rhythms, circadian and hormonal rhythms that puts these people at the greatest risk of health problems that starts manifesting at very young age which was not a problem faced in this age group about 20 yrs back.
We will be presenting the health issues regularly in this blog and is created only for the benefit of the friends of IT & BPO world and as I found that there is not much of sources where the exclusive health issues of the above sectors are addressed or discussed or ways to prevent suggested.
We invite u to our blog and have your problems or points presented so that it will become more beneficial to every Techie whose knowledge on the computer and electronics will be excellent but awareness of details of health may be lacking with the result of unnecessary stress on simple matters.
Here we provide u the correct and accurate info so that the reader will be benefited and you can have your questions and comments posted.
It will also be nice to have more of your friends become aware of this venture aimed at the health issues of Our IT & BPO friends and I personally wish every one becomes a part of this venture with contributions that will benefit all of us.
rackon