Is vegetable powder more dense in micronutrients/phytochemicals than regular vegetables?

[Alex K Chen]

They evidently used them here - https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.07.07.20148098v1?fbclid=IwAR1fovyX_f_d97G_bn6QjojBBBRaNFLlFhaOBKKhke8HS5DaA4r4Oj6Hq1o

[Sibiriak]

Quote

 

The dietary recommendations employed as part of the treatment protocol for this study were based largely on biochemistry and generalized measures of health, because few dietary associations with the DNAmAge clock have yet been established.

A modest, but significant, reduction in DNAmAge in individuals consuming a non-specific lean meat, fish and plant-based diet (as measured by blood carotenoids) has been observed (Quach et al., 2017). It is possible that changes of a greater magnitude require a more targeted approach.

The dietary intervention used here was also plant-centered, but including a high intake of nutrients that are substrates or cofactors in methylation biosynthetic pathways (e.g. containing folate, betaine), ten-eleven translocation demethylase cofactors and modulators (e.g. alpha ketoglutarate, vitamin C and vitamin A) (Hore, 2017) and polyphenolic modulators of DNA methyl transferases (DNMT) (e.g. curcumin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), rosmarinic acid, quercetin, luteolin).

It also included limited nutrient-dense animal proteins (e.g. liver, egg). The diet restricted carbohydrates and included mild intermittent fasting, both designed to lower glycemic cycling.

The diet was supplemented daily with a fruit and vegetable powder, also rich in polyphenolic modulators of DNMT activity , and a probiotic providing 40 million CFU of Lactobacillus plantarum 299v. L. plantarum has been shown to be a folate producer in the presence of para aminobenzoic acid (PABA) (Sybesma et al., 2003); it also has been demonstrated to alter gene expression (Hariri et al., 2015).

 

Vegetable and fruit powders are more dense in micronutrients/phytochemicals than whole vegetables/fruits because  their water content (and often fiber) has been removed ( by freeze-drying, for example).   Although they may possibly be useful  as  special supplements at times,  they are  not  cost-effective and certainly cannot  replace whole foods which are the foundation of a WFPB diet.

Edited August 5, 2020 by Sibiriak