Vegetable Soup Fights Cell Damage and Major Illness, Study Shows

Scientists at Tufts University in Boston revealed that participants in a study benefited from eating a special type of vegetable soup after seven days. The cold soup, known as gazpacho contained a mixture of uncooked tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, peppers, garlic, oil, and seasonings. The participants' blood showed lower levels of stress-related molecules after eating the soup twice a day. Scientists say this is, in part, due to the amount of Vitamin C consumed as vitamin C contains important antioxidants that battle highly reactive free radicals that flow through the human body. This study has proven that vegetable soup has further benefits than those of the antioxidants contained in the vegetables.

The study's lead investigator, Antonio Martin, believes that vegetables have a protective element that reaches beyond their antioxidant capacity. Martin also notes that the molecular function of vitamin C provides a major preventative role in reducing the formation of compounds that create abnormal inflammation and a biochemical process called oxidative stress. Both the inflammation and oxidative stress can alter human cells which can create a preemptive development for chronic disease to form.

Scientists insist that people do not have to consume vegetable soup to get their necessary levels of nutrients. Current dietary standards promote the consumption of five daily servings of fruits and vegetables to prevent major illnesses, including cancer. Martin designed his study to observe the role of vitamin C through diet not vitamin supplements. He also noted that vitamin C cannot be absorbed naturally through the body. There are several nutrients needed to aid in the absorption of this important vitamin. vitamin C not only aids in the product of collagen proteins that compose bone and cartilage, it also enhances signal transmitters in the brain. Interestingly enough, brain tissue has the highest concentration of Vitamin C. Martin conducted another study two years ago and found that a high concentration of vitamin C in brain tissue improved the function of lysosomes, which are enzymes in parts of the cell eliminating waste.

Martin's study included twelve young men and women and their early twenties without major health problems. While the volunteers in this study were young, Martin insists that higher concentrations of vitamin C will benefit other populations, including the elderly whose lysosomes deteriorate over time. Eating the daily recommended amount of vegetables high in vitamin C will not only prevent major illnesses, it can also reduce stress levels. Vitamin C can be found in citrus fruits and various vegetables including: tomatoes, onions, broccoli, peppers, and radishes.