Juice concentrate and adiposity in children

What is it about?

This study involved 30 aged prepubertal (9 lean and 21 overweight) boys, age 6-10 years old who in a randomized double blind placebo control manner were tested for the effects of diet vs. diet supplemented with an encapsulated fruit and vegetable juice concentrate (FVJC) on markers of adiposity, insulin resistance (IR), and inflammation along with Beta-carotene (BC) as a bioavailability marker of fruit and vegetable intake. The study confirmed the presence of metabolic markers of IR and inflammation in the overweight as compared to the lean children and showed a strong inverse correlation between BC and IR and adiposity measures at baseline and following 6 months of diet vs. diet + FVJC. Only those treated with the supplement showed significant improvement in BC and IR leading to a significant difference in the rate of accrual of abdominal adiposity of 11% increase in the diet group as opposed to a 1.5% decrease in the in the overweight group (P = 0.029) for treatment effect at 6 months.

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Why is it important?

The results of this study have potential public health implications by suggesting that BC levels should be used as part of the nutritional assessment in children and adults at risk for obesity and its co-morbidities and, daily intake recommendations should be based on achieved levels, which can be used to monitor compliance with the recommended servings of fruits and vegetable consumption in this population.

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