NEW YORK, June 25, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- This season, you may want to make a warm-weather resolution to get on track to better health, like adding orange juice to your diet, so you can fully enjoy everything summer has to offer. The benefits last all year long and can do wonders when it comes to nipping potential long-term health problems in the bud, like hypertension.
Orange juice, long loved for its high concentration of vitamin C and other antioxidants, which aid the immune system and stimulate cell recovery -- not to mention its great taste -- can also help you reduce blood pressure significantly. According to a new study called JUICE (Juice Utilization Improves Cardiovascular Endpoints), sponsored by a grant from Tropicana, drinking two glasses daily for six weeks can help lower blood pressure.
"Previous studies have suggested that many of the nutrients found naturally in orange juice, like potassium, vitamin C and other antioxidants, have a beneficial effect on blood pressure," said Dennis Sprecher, M.D. at the annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology last March. Sprecher is the head of Preventative Cardiology in the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at The Cleveland Clinic. "The next logical step was to find out whether orange juice itself could provide a measurable improvement."
During the study, Sprecher tested four different beverages, including three 100-percent orange juices for two weeks on 24 patients who had partial blockage in the arteries leading to their heart but whose hypertension was under control. Patients discontinued all medications and drank two 16-ounce glasses of the juice daily. Measurements taken at the end of the two-week period showed that the orange juice produced about a 7-percent reduction in systolic blood pressure and about a 5-percent reduction in diastolic blood pressure. None of the study's participants gained weight. Researchers concluded that orange juice appears to positively influence vascular health and may help with long-term blood pressure control.
Hypertension (high blood pressure) is the most common cardiovascular problem in the United States and a major risk factor for coronary artery disease. It is the leading risk factor for stroke, which kills more than 150,000 people each year and disables three times that number. Doctors call this disease the "silent killer" because symptoms are often few and largely undetectable.
Although the precise causes of high blood pressure are unknown in most cases, diet and lifestyle are known to play key roles. According to research, factors that help reduce risk of hypertension include maintaining a healthy weight, having a physically active lifestyle and eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, fish, legumes, seeds and nuts.
For more information about the study, visit The Cleveland Clinic Web site at www.clevelandclinic.org.