New Tomato Soy Juice Cuts Inflammation

Move over, green smoothies—there’s a new functional beverage in town, and it’s painted tomato red. A groundbreaking study from Ohio State University, published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, reveals that a specially formulated tomato-soy juice can significantly reduce systemic inflammation in adults with obesity in just four weeks.

While many modern “superfoods” make vague marketing claims, this study put the tomato-soy blend to a rigorous clinical test. Researchers focused on two heavy-hitting, naturally occurring phytochemicals: lycopene, the potent antioxidant responsible for a tomato’s deep red hue, and soy isoflavones, plant compounds known for supporting cellular health.

Led by Jessica Cooperstone, an associate professor at Ohio State, the team wanted to see if food could be used as a precision tool to modulate the body’s immune response rather than just assuming a dietary ingredient is anti-inflammatory.

The trial involved twelve healthy adults with obesity who drank two six-ounce cans of the fortified juice daily. To ensure the results were truly specific to the soy-lycopene combination, the participants also underwent a separate phase drinking a standard control tomato juice that lacked those elevated concentrations.

The results were striking. The tomato-soy juice significantly lowered blood levels of three key inflammatory proteins produced by the immune system, specifically the cytokines IL-5, IL-12p70, and GM-CSF. Notably, the standard tomato juice alone did not produce these same effects, suggesting that the precise synergy between high-dose lycopene and soy is the real secret to calming chronic inflammation.

This matters because chronic inflammation is a silent driver of numerous long-term health conditions, including metabolic disorders and heart disease. By proving that a simple dietary intervention can measurably alter human biology, researchers are opening new doors for functional foods.

The success of this trial has already secured new funding from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The next frontier for this “super juice” is investigating whether the same formulation can help patients suffering from chronic pancreatitis, a painful condition where current medical treatments are limited to managing symptoms. For the processing tomato industry, this research provides compelling evidence that the humble tomato is a true powerhouse of preventative medicine.

Source: Science Daily, Molecular Nutrition

Maria J. Sholola, Jenna Miller, Emma A. Bilbrey, Janet A. Novotny, David M. Francis, Thomas A. Mace, Jessica L. Cooperstone. Tomato‐Soy Juice Reduces Inflammation and Modulates the Urinary Metabolome in Adults With Obesity. Molecular Nutrition, 2026; 70 (5) DOI: 10.1002/mnfr.70420