Tomato soffritto and platelet activity in overweight adults
What it found
In overweight and obese adults, eating tomato soffritto daily for six weeks reduced platelet clumping triggered by collagen and ADP.
It did not change blood vessel function, weight, blood fats, or blood counts.
What they found
Studies in people
Platelet clumping
Collagen-induced platelet aggregation fell by 5.10% in the soffritto group compared with a rise of 4.47% in the control group. ADP-induced aggregation at 20 µM also fell significantly in the soffritto group.
Blood vessel function
Soffritto did not change vascular endothelial function or arterial stiffness. The authors say it had no unwanted effects on these measures.
Weight and body measures
Weight, BMI, waist circumference, and waist-to-height ratio were similar in both groups after six weeks.
Blood fats
Total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides did not change significantly with soffritto. There was a non-significant rise in triglycerides in the soffritto group.
Blood counts and safety
No significant differences were seen in hemoglobin, red or white blood cells, or platelets. No adverse effects were reported.
What the authors conclude
“We conclude that the intake of tomato soffritto in overweight and obese subjects is safe and may have a role in the primary prevention of CVD by reducing platelet activation, which could contribute to a reduction in thrombotic events.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that eating tomato soffritto is safe in overweight and obese people.
- They say it may help prevent cardiovascular disease by reducing platelet activation, which could lower the risk of blood clots.
- They call for more research with a larger sample size to confirm these effects.
How it was done
Tomatoes have many proposed health benefits, but the effects of soffritto, a common Mediterranean cooking base, had not been well studied in people who are overweight or obese.
Forty overweight or obese adults took 100 g of soffritto daily or a control for 42 days, then switched after a two-week break. The study lasted 14 weeks in total.
What it can’t tell you
- The study was small, with only 40 people, so the results may not apply to everyone.
- The participants were generally healthy apart from being overweight or obese, so the findings may differ in people with other health conditions.
- The study lasted only six weeks, so it cannot show long-term effects.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by CDTI Spanish Ministry of Competitiveness and Economy (MINECO); MICINN-AEI; Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- L.B. declares to have served as an SAB member of Sanofi, Ionnis, Pfizer, and NovoNordisk; to have received a research grant from AstraZeneca; to have received speaker fees from Sanofi and Bayer; and to have founded the Spin-Offs Glycardial Diagnostics SL and Ivastatin Therapeutics S (which are not associated with this research). T.P. discloses being a co-founder of Spin-offs Glycardial Diagnostics SL and Ivastatin Therapeutics S (both unrelated to this study). The remaining authors have no competing interest to declare.
- Authors work at
- Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau (IIB SANT PAU), Spain; Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain; University of Barcelona, Spain
The paper
- Title
- Vascular and Platelet Effects of Tomato Soffritto Intake in Overweight and Obese Subjects
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- López-Yerena A, Padro T, de Santisteban Villaplana V, et al (2023). Vascular and Platelet Effects of Tomato Soffritto Intake in Overweight and Obese Subjects. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu15245084Free full textPubMed 38140343DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error