The Tomato Pill Company

How 'Googling' about his health changed Sam’s life

This interview between Ann (Go Vita) and Sam Hunter (CEO, The Tomato Pill Company) reveals how one man's quest to resolve a health issue positively changed his life - and his business.

Ann:

Let's go back to the beginning -

Sam:

I have a family history of heart and prostate problems. About 5-years ago I was told my widow maker artery was 50% blocked. My doctor recommended statins (to lower cholesterol), but I wanted to understand more about what I was being asked to do. It was important to me that I had some control of the direction I was being advised to take.

Ann:

So like most people these days -

Sam:

Yes. Like most people who’ve just received some 'bad health news', I jumped online and began searching for answers. I started 'Googling' to understand how my problem works, what the role of a statin was, what possible side effects there were, and what else could be done to solve the problem.

Ann:

You looked at 'good' and 'bad' cholesterol -

Sam:

Everybody has 'good cholesterol' HDL and 'bad cholesterol 'LDL'. Statins would reduce the LDL levels and thereby reduce the body’s ability to accumulate fatty materials in the vascular system. However, I also learned that you need LDL cholesterol to be healthy. I felt compelled to look for other ways to help something to work with the statin even perhaps something better.

That’s when I found the health benefits of Lycopene, a powerful anti-oxidant that occurs naturally in red coloured fruits and vegetables - and is particularly concentrated in the humble tomato. The downside was - Lycopene is not readily absorbed by the body. I could not eat 1 kg of Tomatoes a day to get the lycopene I needed.

Ann:

Was this the first time you heard about 'bioavailability'?

Sam:

Absolutely! Further research led me to a UK Lycopene product; I consider this to be the best in the world because it is based on bioavailable Lycopene and it's this bioavailability that makes all the difference in the world.

I bought it, tried it and began to feel the benefits. It was so encouraging, I began calling other people who were buying the product from UK and discovered that they too were experiencing similar benefits.

Ann:

But here’s where Sam’s story is unique. After researching the health benefits of Lycopene he went one step further; he bought the rights to sell the product in Australia and NZ. Just like the famous slogan from Victor Kiam at Remington, he was, "so impressed, he bought the company." Well, close enough anyway.

Sam:

One of the most significant differences between the UK Lycopene product and the Australian brands was the rigorous testing of UK manufacturing and packaging. Because Lycopene oxidises when exposed to oxygen, the manufacturing and packaging processes were developed to protect against this. In Australia, most of the Lycopene products were tablets in bottles, where Lycopene was allowed in contact with oxygen. This reduced the efficacy and benefits of Lycopene.

Ann:

Lycopene is not new - its benefits have been documented since 1970s - maybe earlier?

Sam:

That's right - and when the pill was first released for sale in the UK, it was hailed by the British media, this has not happened here in Australia.

“Super pill is key to living longer” - Daily Express

“Tomato pill hope for stopping heart disease” - BBC News

“Could cut heart attack risk” - Sky News

“Cuts heart and stroke risk- a lifesaver” – The Sun

So yes, I've become a true believer along with many others around the world. The Go Vita Naturopaths have known about Lycopene and its far-ranging benefits; they also understand the challenges of absorbability and oxidisation - and they are totally behind this UK product. In fact they have supported it since its Australian launch last year. So right now, I want to say a very big thank you to Ann and Go Vita for their on-going support.