An extraordinary phenomenon is currently under discussion - that smokers may be sensitive to tomatoes. A new book launched recently claims that eating tomatoes makes it harder for people to give up smoking, reports Ananova.com.
Author Robert Brynin maintains there is medical evidence that some smokers are also sensitive to tomatoes. He says giving them up can help people conquer smoking because the tomato plant is related to the tobacco plant.
Brynin, based in the UK, is director of five NHA Stop Smoking centres and has just published "How Can You Expect to Stop Smoking if you Eat Tomatoes".
The ex-smoker said: "The tomato plant is related to the tobacco plant, which are in the nightshade family. If you stop smoking your body will still crave tobacco or any thing that replicates tobacco.
"This can be in the form of nicotine replacement products like patches or gum, or by grabbing a tomato.
"I had one woman who called me and wanted to give up. She had tried everything from patches to hypnosis and when I chatted to her on the phone the first thing I asked was whether she liked tomatoes. As soon as she gave them up she was all right.
"Of course this isn't the case for all smokers, but we tell anyone who takes part in our programme to stop eating tomatoes for eight days."
Smokers can take a test to see if they are sensitive to tomatoes, but Brynin says the easiest way is to avoid eating them for four days after your last cigarette.
"Once tobacco is cleared from the blood stream, it is safe to eat them again," he added.