AUTHOR=Aldisi Dara , Sabico Shaun , Almiman Abeer , Al-Farraj Amani , Basaeed Taghreed A. , Wani Kaiser , Hussain Syed D. , Ansari Mohammed G. A. , McTernan Philip G. , Al-Daghri Nasser M. 

TITLE=Is freeze-dried superfood kale supplementation healthier than common green peas? Outcomes of a cross-over trial

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Nutrition

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2024.1370677

DOI=10.3389/fnut.2024.1370677

ISSN=2296-861X

ABSTRACT=<p>Kale (<italic>Brassica oleracea</italic> species) is considered a functional food whose macronutrient and phytochemical contents are considered beneficial and widely considered as a superfood. In the present 6-week cross-over trial with a 2-week washout period, we compared the beneficial effects of freeze-dried kale over peas among Arab women with obesity. A total of 124 Saudi women with obesity were allocated to receive either freeze-dried kale (<italic>n</italic> = 62) or freeze-dried peas (<italic>n</italic> = 62) given in the form of 3-gram sachets thrice daily for 2 weeks, followed by a 2-week washout period and a cross-over of 4 weeks. Anthropometric measurements, glucose, lipids and markers of gut barrier function were assessed at baseline and post-intervention. Participants who took kale supplementation first resulted in significant weight reduction (<italic>p</italic> = 0.02) which was not observed among those who took peas first. Participants receiving pea supplementation first experienced a significant decline in Hba1c (<italic>p</italic> = 0.005) and CD14 (<italic>p</italic> = 0.03), but C-peptide increased (<italic>p</italic> = 0.05). Crossover analysis revealed significant carryover effects in most variables with non-significant combined treatment effects. Among the variables with no carryover effect with significant combined treatment effect include HbA1c which was in favor of the pea group (<italic>p</italic> = 0.005) and C-peptide which was modestly in favor of the kale group (<italic>p</italic> = 0.05). While both freeze dried kale and pea supplementation appear beneficial, supplementation of freeze-dried pea appears to be more effective in terms of acute glycemic control than kale. The study suggests that common but less-hyped vegetables such as pea maybe equally, if not more beneficial than the more expensive promoted superfoods such as kale. Longer clinical trials using a parallel design instead of cross-over are recommended to strengthen present findings.</p>