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

Kale ( Brassica oleracea 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 ( n = 62) or freeze-dried peas ( n = 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 ( p = 0.02) which was not observed among those who took peas first. Participants receiving pea supplementation first experienced a significant decline in Hba1c ( p = 0.005) and CD14 ( p = 0.03), but C-peptide increased ( p = 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 ( p = 0.005) and C-peptide which was modestly in favor of the kale group ( p = 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.
Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
(Copyright © 2024 Aldisi, Sabico, Almiman, Al-Farraj, Basaeed, Wani, Hussain, Ansari, McTernan and Al-Daghri.)