COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 23 (Nationwide Times) — A specially made tomato drink may do something plain tomato juice does not: lower several inflammation signals in adults with obesity. But the finding comes from a small study, so it is not a reason to change eating habits on its own.
What the study suggests
Researchers at Ohio State University reported that adults with obesity who drank a tomato-soy beverage for four weeks had lower levels of three proteins tied to chronic inflammation: IL-5, IL-12p70 and GM-CSF. The study was published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research and is indexed in PubMed.
The drink was not regular tomato juice. According to the study abstract, it was made from tomatoes bred to contain high levels of lycopene and was fortified with soy isoflavones. Each participant received two 6-ounce servings a day.
The same study found that blood lycopene levels rose 2.48-fold after the tomato-soy drink. That matters because lycopene is one of the main plant compounds in tomatoes, and the higher blood level suggests the body absorbed it.
Why this does not mean everyone should start drinking it
The trial included only 12 adults with obesity. It also used a crossover design, which means participants tried both the tomato-soy beverage and a lower-carotenoid tomato juice at different times, with a washout period in between.
That kind of study can show a short-term change in lab markers, but it cannot show whether the drink improves long-term health outcomes. The abstract also says one marker, TNF-α, trended downward but did not meet the usual level for statistical significance.
In plain terms, the research points to a possible anti-inflammatory effect, but it is still too early to call the drink a treatment or a proven health fix.
What inflammation markers tell researchers
Inflammation is part of the immune system’s response to injury or infection. In this study, the researchers tracked proteins called cytokines, which help immune cells communicate. High or persistent levels of certain cytokines can signal ongoing inflammation, so scientists often use them as one way to study possible health effects of foods.
The study also found some shared changes in the urine metabolome after both drinks. The authors said that suggests some tomato-related effects may happen even apart from lycopene.
Has tomato juice been studied before?
Yes. A separate 2013 randomized study indexed in PubMed, from Tehran University of Medical Sciences, found that tomato juice reduced some inflammatory markers in overweight or obese female students. In that study, IL-8 and TNF-α fell in the intervention group, and IL-6 decreased in obese subjects.
That earlier trial is not the same as the Ohio State study, and it involved a different group of people. Together, the studies suggest tomatoes may affect inflammation, but neither is large enough to settle the question.
For now, the main takeaway is simple: the new study is encouraging, but it is preliminary. It adds to the evidence that tomato-based foods may have measurable effects in the body, while also showing that the specific drink tested in the lab is not the same as an everyday grocery-store beverage.
