Abstract
Obesity is one of the most prevalent non-communicable diseases and is interlinked with incidences of various diseases. By modulating lifestyle and food quality, obesity can be preventable. The present study investigated the ability of a novel functional beverage based on orange juice and beetroot leaf and stem juice in preventing obesity-associated health issues. To achieve this purpose, we determined the nutritive value of juices and tested their ability to prevent the effect of a high-fat diet on a rat model. Adding leaf and stem juice to orange juice increased the total soluble solids/total titratable acidity ratio, which reflects the high acceptability of the blends, and enhanced their nutritive value. All minerals increased in the blends by increasing the leaf and stem juice percentage. Copper was detected only in the juices containing 10–20% leaf and stem juice (0.01–0.11 mg/100 g). Total flavonoids and betalain increased in the blends, reaching 142.02 µg/mL and 1680 µg/mL, respectively. The mixing process synergized the blends’ radicals scavenging activity. The synergic antioxidant effect of orange enriched with 20% leaf and stem juice attenuated the oxidative stress induced by the high-fat diet by recovering catalase and glutathione peroxidase values. It also enhanced liver enzymes and lipid profile. Consequently, enriching orange with leaf and stem juice results in a functional and nutritious beverage that protects against obesity and its associated health issues.
Highlights
Obesity is one of the growing non-communicable diseases worldwide—it has tripled since 1975
Our study aimed to investigate the effect of mixing the juice extracted directly from beetroot leaves and stems (LSJ) in fortifying orange juice to present a novel functional and nutraceutical beverage
We noticed a significant increase in the protein and ash content by 44% and 61%, in orange juice mixed with 20% of leaf and stem juice (LSJ) (OLS 20%) compared to orange juice inspectively, orange juice mixed with 20% of LSJ (OLS 20%) compared to orange juice (OJ)
Summary
Obesity is one of the growing non-communicable diseases worldwide—it has tripled since 1975. In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 1.9 billion adults were obese, 340 million adults were overweight, and 340 million children and adolescents were overweight [1]. Obesity is associated with lifestyle and food quality [2]. It is considered the main reason for dyslipidemia, type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, inflammation, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) [2]. A high-fat diet is strongly associated with developing obesity, dyslipidemia, and oxidative stress, in the liver [3]. Improving food quality could reduce obesity and its associated health consequences
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call