Blackcurrant juice, inflammation markers and antioxidant levels after a heavy meal
What it found
In 11 men, blackcurrant juice raised vitamin C and antioxidant capacity in the blood after a heavy meal.
In lab tests on mouse immune cells, it lowered signs of inflammation.
What they found
Studies in people
Antioxidants after eating
After the placebo meal, vitamin C and antioxidant capacity in the blood dropped. With the blackcurrant drink, both rose compared to before the meal and compared to the placebo group.
Blood sugar and insulin
Blood sugar and insulin went up after the heavy meal. There was no difference between the blackcurrant drink and the placebo drink.
Blood fats after eating
Blood fat levels rose after the meal. They tended to be slightly lower with the blackcurrant drink, but the difference was not clear enough to be certain.
Cholesterol markers unchanged
Oxidised LDL cholesterol and an enzyme that protects against its damage stayed about the same in both groups after the meal.
Inflammation signals in people
In the men, two inflammation signals actually fell more after the placebo meal than after the blackcurrant meal. Another signal, IL-6, rose only after the blackcurrant meal.
Animal and lab studies
Inflammation in lab cells
In lab tests on mouse immune cells, blackcurrant juice lowered several signals of inflammation triggered by a bacterial toxin. It also reduced cholesterol build-up inside those cells.
What the authors conclude
- They say blackcurrant juice showed strong anti-inflammatory effects in lab-grown mouse cells.
- They note that drinking the blackcurrant beverage improved antioxidant status in men after a heavy meal, raising vitamin C and free radical scavenging capacity in the blood.
- The authors add that the cell findings cannot be directly applied to what happens in people after eating, partly because very little of the berry pigments reached the bloodstream.
How it was done
Eating fruit and vegetables is linked to lower heart disease risk, but scientists do not fully know why. The authors wanted to see if blackcurrant juice could reduce oxidative stress and inflammation after a heavy meal, when these problems tend to spike.
Eleven overweight men with high cholesterol each ate a high-fat, high-sugar meal twice, once with a blackcurrant-based drink and once with a placebo drink. Blood was taken over four hours. They also tested blackcurrant juice on mouse immune cells in the lab.
What it can’t tell you
- Only 11 men took part, so the results may not apply to women or larger groups.
- Lab tests on mouse immune cells cannot show exactly what happens inside a human body after a meal.
- The study measured short-term blood changes over four hours, not long-term heart health outcomes.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Germany
The paper
- Title
- Effects of blackcurrant-based juice on atherosclerosis-related biomarkers in cultured macrophages and in human subjects after consumption of a high-energy meal
- Type
- Clinical trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Huebbe P, Giller K, de Pascual-Teresa S, et al (2012). Effects of blackcurrant-based juice on atherosclerosis-related biomarkers in cultured macrophages and in human subjects after consumption of a high-energy meal. The British journal of nutrition. doi:10.1017/S0007114511005642Free full textPubMed 22011640DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error