Molybdenum and iodine biofortified lettuce and metabolic markers
What it found
In a 12-day controlled trial in healthy adults aged 50 to 79, eating lettuce biofortified with iodine and molybdenum was linked to lower triglycerides and liver enzymes and higher HDL cholesterol and the satiety hormone PYY.
The authors say these are short-term changes, not proof of long-term disease prevention.
What they found
Studies in people
Cholesterol and triglycerides
In the biofortified group, HDL cholesterol rose and triglycerides fell. These changes were significantly different from the control group at the end of the study.
Liver enzymes
The biofortified group had lower levels of the liver enzymes AST and ALT after the intervention. The authors say this should be interpreted with caution.
Satiety hormone PYY
Plasma PYY nearly doubled in the biofortified group, while it slightly decreased in the control group. The authors call this an exploratory finding that needs confirmation.
Thyroid and bone markers
No significant changes were seen in thyroid function, bone turnover markers, or electrolyte balance in either group.
Body composition
No significant changes in BMI, body weight, muscle fat mass, or visceral fat were found within either group.
Other gut hormones
No significant changes were observed for GIP, GLP-1, or GLP-2.
What the authors conclude
“The intervention was associated with decreased plasma levels of triglycerides, AST, and ALT, and increased plasma levels of HDL-cholesterol and the satiety hormone PYY.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that daily consumption of iodine- and molybdenum-biofortified lettuce was associated with short-term changes in blood markers of metabolic regulation in healthy adults aged 50 to 79.
- They say these biochemical markers reflect early metabolic adaptations that may inform future research on micronutrient biofortification.
- They advise that longer-term studies are needed to confirm these effects and that the findings support biofortification as a promising approach warranting further investigation.
How it was done
The authors wanted to explore whether eating vegetables enriched with iodine and molybdenum could affect short-term metabolic markers, since most research looks at deficiency rather than optimal intake. They also wanted to test a sustainable way to improve nutrient levels in food.
They ran a 12-day randomised, single-blind controlled trial with 36 healthy adults aged 50 to 79, split into two groups of 18. One group ate 100 g of molybdenum-biofortified lettuce plus 100 g of iodine-biofortified lettuce daily, while the other group ate the same amount of non-biofortified lettuce. Blood markers were measured before and after.
What it can’t tell you
- The study lasted only 12 days, so it cannot show whether these changes would last or affect long-term health.
- The authors could not perform a group-by-time interaction analysis because baseline data were only available for the whole group, so they cannot say for sure that the changes were caused by the intervention rather than other factors.
- The PYY finding has no established biological mechanism linking iodine or molybdenum to PYY release in humans, so it needs confirmation in larger trials.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by FFR (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.
- Authors work at
- University of Palermo, Italy; University of Cassino and Lazio Meridionale, Italy
The paper
- Title
- Biofortification of Vegetables with Iodine and Molybdenum for Healthy Nutrition: A Controlled Trial
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Baldassano S, Di Rosa L, Cortis C, et al (2025). Biofortification of Vegetables with Iodine and Molybdenum for Healthy Nutrition: A Controlled Trial. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu18010002Free full textPubMed 41515120DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error