COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 23 (Nationwide Times) — Ohio State researchers say a specially formulated tomato-soy drink lowered several inflammation-related proteins in adults with obesity after four weeks. For a typical reader, the practical takeaway is cautious: the study suggests a food-based drink may change some blood markers, but it does not prove long-term health benefits or justify broad diet claims.
What the study tested
The drink in the study was not ordinary tomato juice. In the abstract published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, the researchers described a beverage made from tomatoes bred to contain high levels of lycopene and fortified with soy isoflavones. The trial included 12 adults with obesity. Each participant drank two 6-ounce servings a day for four weeks, then went through a washout period as part of a crossover design. The comparison drink was a low-carotenoid tomato juice.
What changed in the blood
After the tomato-soy drink, the study reported significant decreases in three proteins tied to inflammation: IL-5, IL-12p70 and GM-CSF. Another marker, TNF-α, trended downward but did not meet the usual threshold for statistical significance.
The researchers also found that plasma lycopene rose 2.48-fold after the tomato-soy drink, showing that the body absorbed the tomato compound. In the urine data, both interventions produced some shared changes in the metabolome, which the researchers said suggested tomato-driven effects that may not depend only on lycopene.
Why the finding matters
Inflammation is part of the body’s immune response, but chronic low-grade inflammation is often studied in obesity because it can track with broader health risks. This paper adds to that research by showing that a carefully formulated tomato drink changed several lab markers. It does not show whether the drink lowered disease risk, improved symptoms or produced benefits that would last beyond the four-week test period.
Why this is not the same as regular tomato juice
The study drink was specially made, with tomato breeding and added soy compounds designed to increase lycopene and isoflavones. That makes it different from standard tomato juice sold in stores. The abstract also does not show that the beverage can be easily copied at home.
Has tomato juice been studied before?
Yes. A 2013 randomized study at Tehran University of Medical Sciences found that tomato juice reduced some inflammatory markers in overweight or obese female students. In obese participants, IL-6 fell, and the study also reported significant decreases in IL-8 and TNF-α in the intervention group. That earlier study involved a different population and should not be mixed up with the Ohio State trial.
Bottom line
The new study offers early evidence that a specially formulated tomato drink may affect inflammation markers in adults with obesity. But the trial was very small, lasted only four weeks and measured lab changes rather than long-term health outcomes. It is best read as a preliminary sign that how a tomato product is made may matter.
