Slurp Your Veggies

Structured to determine whether fruit- and vegetable-based soups and beverages have a beneficial effect on markers of oxidative stress and cardiovascular disease risk factors, a study out of the Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition, The University of Reading, England, found consumption of such items increased dietary carotenoids, vitamin C, alpha-tocopherol, potassium and folate, as well as the plasma concentrations of alpha-carotene (362%), beta-carotene (250%) and lycopene (31%).

In the study, after a two-week run-in period with fish oil supplementation, volunteers consumed carotenoid-rich or control vegetable soups and beverages for four weeks. Fish oil supplementation continued throughout the dietary intervention to increase oxidative stress. After a 10-week wash-out period, the volunteers repeated the above protocol, consuming the other intervention foods. Both test and control interventions significantly increased the percentage of energy from carbohydrates, and decreased dietary protein and vitamin B12 intakes. Consumption of the carotenoid-rich soups and beverages increased dietary carotenoids, and decreased the plasma homocysteine concentration by 8.8%. This reduction in plasma homocysteine correlated with the increased consumption of folate during the test intervention. While there was no impact on markers of oxidative stress, researchers concluded that consuming these types of soups and beverages could help consumers meet the recommended dietary intake of fruits and vegetables.