Tomatoes and soy have long been praised for their health benefits.Now, a small new study suggests that combining compounds from both into a specially formulated beverage may help reduce inflammation in adults with obesity.Researchers at Ohio State University found that adults who drank two 6-ounce servings of a tomato-soy beverage each day for four weeks experienced significant reductions in several markers of systemic inflammation, according to a study published in the journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research.The beverage wasn't ordinary tomato juice.
It was made with tomatoes bred to contain high levels of lycopene — a powerful antioxidant that gives tomatoes their red color — and fortified with soy isoflavones, naturally occurring plant compounds found in soybeans.PALEO DIET LEADER BANS 'CAVEMAN' LABEL, SAYS HEALTHY EATING PLAN WIDELY MISUNDERSTOODResearchers compared the fortified drink with a standard tomato juice and found only the specialized beverage significantly lowered three proteins linked to chronic inflammation.The findings add to growing research into whether certain foods and plant compounds can help combat inflammation, but experts caution consumers not to expect the same results from grocery store tomato juice.Researchers found that adults who drank two 6-ounce servings of a tomato-soy beverage each day for four weeks experienced significant reductions in several markers of systemic inflammation.(iStock)"This study adds to a growing body of research suggesting that bioactive compounds in foods may help influence inflammation, but it's important to keep the findings in perspective," Florida-based registered dietitian Jamie Lee McIntyre, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER"Researchers tested a specially formulated tomato-soy juice that contained concentrated amounts of lycopene and soy isoflavones — not a beverage consumers can easily recreate at home.
While the re...