A tomato juice enriched with soy isoflavones appears to reduce some markers of chronicity inflammation in people with obesity, according to a small clinical study by Ohio State University scientists published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research.
After from 4 weeks of daily consumption of the drinkthe researchers recorded a decrease in three pro-inflammatory proteins in the blood. The findings are considered interesting, although not definitive, as only 12 people participated in the trial.
Why was this…original combination considered?
Chronic, low-grade inflammation is its hallmark obesity and is associated with an increased risk of cardiometabolic diseases and certain forms of cancer.
Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, the carotenoid pigment that gives them their red color. OR soyon the other hand, contains isoflavones: plant compounds that have been studied for their potential action on metabolic and inflammatory pathways.
So instead of administering the substances as individual supplements, scientists incorporated them into a processed tomato-based product, attempting to examine their contribution within a complex nutritional ‘environment’.
How the test was performed
The study involved 12 obese men and women, aged 30 to 60 years. All were otherwise healthy and had a body mass index of 30 to 45.
Regarding the research structure, the cross-over design was followed: each volunteer consumed two drinks, acting as a benchmark for himself. Participants drank 360 ml daily:
- either red tomato juice with a high content of lycopene and addition of soy isoflavone extract,
- either of yellow tomato juicewith a very low content of carotenoids and without soy.
Each intervention lasted 4 weeks and between them there was a corresponding period of abstinence. Before and during the trial, the volunteers restricted foods rich in lycopene and soy to reduce dietary interference.
Much higher amounts than the usual diet
The experimental drink was provided daily 54 mg of lycopene and approx 190 mg of isoflavones. The amounts in question were much higher than those normally obtained through the diet. The average daily intake of lycopene in the US is estimated to be approx 3 to 15 mgwhile the consumption of isoflavones in Western countries is usually less than 3 mg.
Therefore, it should be noted that this was not a “conventional juice” that can be made with just tomatoes and soybeans at home, but highly concentrated standardized product.
What changed in inflammation markers
The researchers counted 15 cytokinesi.e. proteins involved in the regulation of the immune and inflammatory response. After consuming it juice tomato-soy were significantly reduced:
- IL-5 (linked to inflammation associated with asthma),
- IL-12p70 (can trigger a chain of other inflammatory signals),
- GM-CSF (associated with inflammatory lung diseases).
OR TNF-α -one of the most well-known indicators of inflammation that often appears elevated in obesity -also showed a drop, without exceeding the threshold of statistical significance.
Respectively, no changes were recorded after drinking the control juice, while several other cytokines, such as IL-6 and IL-8, did not change significantly.
However, the authors themselves point out that, due to the very small sample, the research did not have sufficient statistical power to detect smaller differences. For example, they estimated that, for the reliable assessment of IL-6 aloneapproximately 108 participants would be required
A first clue, not a nutritional “cure”
A glass of this drink cannot replace medical treatment or be considered a “cure” for chronic inflammation.
The above results, however, offer a first indication that food combinations with a high concentration of bioactive substances they deserve to be investigated in larger trials and, possibly, to function adjunctively in the improvement of the respective indicators.
