4. Discussion
obesity, obese, overweight, overweight or obesity, atherosclerosis, platelet aggregation
CVD, OBESITY, ATHEROSCLEROSIS, OBESE
The beneficial effect of fresh tomatoes or their derivatives (e.g., purée, sauces, ketchup) in reducing conventional CVD risk markers has been deeply studied in the last few decades [Regarding our main outcome, platelet activity, so far it is well known that platelet activation is triggered by several intracellular signaling cascades stimulated by different soluble agonists such as ADP, collagen, and arachidonic acid, among others. Collagen induces platelet aggregation by triggering granule secretion through glycoprotein VI (GPVI) and proteinase-activated receptor signaling. ADP induces platelet activation that mediates the P2Y12 or P2Y1 receptor-signaling pathway [To date, scientific evidence of the beneficial effects of tomato-base products on CVD and platelet aggregation has been demonstrated in in vitro [Based on our obtained results, it can be extrapolated that the consumption of soffritto among overweight and obese individuals does not exhibit any discernible negative influence on endothelial function, as demonstrated by measuring the vascular resistance to hyperemic conditions and the release of eEVs containing markers of activated endothelial cells. This is important, as endothelial function is one of the most reliable markers of vascular health, and its deterioration is considered the common pathway linking coronary risk factors to the progression of atherosclerosis [Another of the findings of our study was that the daily intake of soffritto during the six weeks did not affect any of the anthropometric variables or biochemical profiles of overweight and obese individuals. In a study carried out in 2013, four weeks of regular consumption of high-lycopene sauce or commercial sauce did not induce changes in anthropometrical and biochemical variables (weight, BMI, WC, insulin, glucose, and uric acid) in a healthy population [One additional finding in our study is that the daily intake of soffritto preparation does not induce changes in the serum lipid profile in individuals with overweight or obesity. In the study carried out by García-Alonso et al. (2012) [This study faced several limitations, primarily related to the sample size. Consequently, further investigation with a larger sample size is needed to validate the vascular and platelet effects associated with the intake of soffritto in overweight and obese individuals. Another of the limitations of our study lies in the fact that the participants enrolled in this trial, despite being overweight or obese, may have been in generally good health, which could have made it difficult to identify significant changes in CVD risk markers. Therefore, the inclusion of volunteers with CVD risk factors and/or a higher BMI (obesity class II) could have increased the likelihood of detecting changes.