Background:
Elevated homocysteine is thought to be a good predictor of mortality risk for all diseases. High consumption of vegetables and citrus fruits, which are both good sources of folate, can lower homocysteine levels.
Aim:
The goal of this study was to determine if supplementing the diet with a fruit and vegetable juice powder concentrate (FV) can decrease blood levels of homocysteine in people whose fruit and vegetable consumption is low.
Methods:
In this randomized, case-crossover trial, 26 healthy men and women, aged 20-56 years (average age 35.6), who ate an average of 1-2 servings of fruit and vegetables per day, were divided into 2 groups of 13.
The study consisted of 3 phases that lasted 4 weeks each. In the first phase, Group 1 took an encapsulated fruit and vegetable juice powder concentrate (Juice Plus+®; two capsules of the Fruit Blend in the morning and 2 capsules of the Vegetable Blend in the evening, taken with meals), while Group 2 served as controls. The second phase was a wash-out period over 4 weeks. In the third phase, the groups switched: Group 1 served as controls, while Group 2 took FV. The participants were asked not to change their lifestyle over the course of the study. Blood samples were taken throughout the study to determine levels of homocysteine (tHcy) and folate.
Results:
Homocysteine levels steadily and significantly decreased in both groups during each treatment period with FV but not during the control period. Folate concentrations more than doubled in each treatment group.
Conclusion:
“In conclusion, we have shown that daily intake of supplements of powdered fruit and vegetable extracts in capsular form significantly decreased plasma levels of tHcy in healthy subjects, just as the interruption of intake allowed tHcy return to pre-supplementation levels.”
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