The authors noted that despite public health recommendations, few children meet the daily recommended intake of fruits and vegetables. As such supplementation of essential nutrients – as an adjuvant to nutritional counseling therapy – may be of importance for the promotion children's health and weight loss, said the US-based researchers.
Led by Dr Jose Canas, Nemours Children's Clinic, USA, the research team revealed that supplementation with the juice concentrate was associated with an increase in serum beta-carotene concentrations, reduced abdominal adipose tissue and improved insulin resistance in overweight boys compared to the placebo group (who received just nutritional counseling).
“Although our study suggests beneficial effects of FVJC in the presence of nutritional counseling on adiposity and insulin resistance in prepubertal boys, we caution that FVJC capsules should not be considered as substitutes to the daily intake of fresh fruits and vegetables in children,” warned the researchers.
Study details
This double-blind placebo-controlled study followed 30 age-matched boys between the ages of six and 10 years for a six-month period. The authors noted that there were nine lean and 21 overweight children in the study.
The participants were randomized to receive either placebo or fruit and vegetable juice concentrate capsules in conjunction with nutrition and lifestyle counseling sessions with a registered research dietician at baseline and three months.
The study found a significant increase in serum beta-carotene levels in both the lean and overweight participants who received the fruit and vegetable juice concentrate capsules.
The fruit and vegetable juice concentrate capsule group also showed a decrease in abdominal fat mass and significantly reduced triglycerides among the overweight participants, which the authors suggest may have played an important role in their improved insulin sensitivity.
Source: The Journal of Pediatrics
Volume 161, Issue 1 , Pages 58-64.e2, July 2012, doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2012.01.030
“Insulin Resistance and Adiposity in Relation to Serum β-Carotene Levels”
Authors: J.A. Canas, L. Damaso, A. Altomare, K. Killen, J. Hossain, P. Balagopal,
The study – published in The Journal of Pediatrics – investigated the effects of supplementation with an encapsulated fruit and vegetable juice concentrate (FVJC) along with nutritional counseling on fat levels (adiposity), serum beta-carotene, retinol, and retinol binding protein-4.
