The juice that reduced inflammation markers in just 4 weeks

A small Ohio State University study found that adults with obesity experienced significant declines in three inflammatory proteins after following a simple monthlong daily regimen.

Key Points

• A small clinical trial found that a tomato-soy juice fortified with lycopene and soy isoflavones significantly reduced several markers of inflammation in adults with obesity after four weeks.

• Compared with regular tomato juice, only the fortified juice produced significant reductions in three inflammatory proteins, suggesting the added plant compounds played a key role in the effect.

• The study included just 12 participants, and researchers are expanding the work with additional clinical trials, including a pilot study in people with chronic pancreatitis, to further evaluate the juice’s potential. 

An estimated 35% of American adults are living with chronic, low-grade inflammation, according to a 2024 study out of the University of Florida. It’s a condition that can lead to a host of health issues, from arthritis to cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, and contributes to more than half of all deaths worldwide, according to the Harvard Medical School. So, yes, it’s an issue worth addressing, and it turns out that a simple drink may help.

In May, researchers from Ohio State University published the findings of a new study, which found that a tomato-soy juice, fortified with high levels of the plant compound lycopene and soy isoflavones, may be linked to a significant reduction of markers of inflammation in adults with obesity. They also observed measurable changes within four weeks. 

To study this juice concoction, the team had 12 adults with obesity drink two 6-ounce cans of the drink daily for one month. They then took a break from the drink and had participants switch to a control tomato juice without those added compounds for another four weeks.

Related: 6 Common Food Pairings That Help Your Body Absorb More Nutrients

The researchers tested their blood before and after each phase and found that only the fortified juice produced significant decreases in three inflammatory proteins. (A fourth marker, known as tumor necrosis factor alpha, also dropped, though not to a statistically significant extent.) 

The juice isn’t new. As the team explained, researchers at the university actually developed it years ago using tomatoes bred to carry extra lycopene, which was then mixed with soy isoflavone extract. At the time, the juice was used in research that showed that men with prostate cancer who drank more of the juice had lower prostate-specific antigen levels. That study is part of why the team decided to test it directly against inflammation.

Can you make this juice at home?

Probably not. The drink used in the study wasn’t a standard tomato-soy beverage that could be recreated with grocery store ingredients. Researchers made it using tomatoes bred to contain extra lycopene and added a purified soy isoflavone extract in carefully measured amounts. Although tomatoes and soy naturally contain these compounds, it’s unknown whether a homemade version would produce the same effects seen in the clinical trial.

“There’s been enough compelling evidence that compounds from tomatoes and soy might be modulating inflammation that we decided to test this in people,” lead author Jessica Cooperstone, an associate professor of horticulture and crop science at Ohio State, said in a statement. 

“The idea is, can we use food-based interventions to modulate inflammation?” Cooperstone explained. “And can we test this in a rigorous way so that we can really see this is affecting inflammation, versus just saying something is anti-inflammatory?”

This latest research also analyzed participants’ urine to detect shifts in metabolites, the byproducts of how the body processes nutrients. Some changes appeared after both juices, suggesting that the tomatoes alone have some effect. However, the metabolites tied specifically to soy isoflavones appeared only after the fortified juice, showing that the mixture is doing the heavy lifting. 

“This is probably a function of the fact that there’s more to our intervention agents than just these two compounds,” Cooperstone said. “Ultimately, we want to have a better understanding of how the foods that we eat are relating to our health. And when we really want to be sure, we need to test them in clinical trials. And that’s what we’re doing here.”

Related: A Guide to Canned Tomatoes, From Whole Peeled to Fire-Roasted

Although this study included only 12 participants, Cooperstone’s team is already conducting additional research. They’ve also collected data from animal studies showing that the same juice can ease inflammation and reduce the severity of chronic pancreatitis. They’ve already secured funding from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for a pilot clinical trial to test it in pancreatitis patients.

“Care for patients with pancreatitis is palliative, focused on controlling pain and GI symptoms,” Cooperstone said. “Our hypothesis is that the tomato-soy juice may serve as an intervention to decrease inflammation and hopefully increase patients’ quality of life.”

Reviewed by

Lauren Manaker MS, RDN, LD, CLEC: Lauren is an award-winning registered dietitian and three-time book author, with more than 22 years in the field.

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