Cardiac Risk Factor
Orange Juice Every Day Keeps Blood Pressure at Bay
By Bruce Jancin
May 13, 2002, 10:01pm

ATLANTA — Quaffing 2 cups of orange juice daily results in a clinically meaningful reduction in blood pressure, Dr. Dennis L. Sprecher reported at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology.

He reported on 24 hypertensive patients with stable coronary artery disease who participated in the Juice Utilization Improves Cardiovascular Endpoints (JUICE) trial. In this Tropicana-sponsored pilot study, participants drank 16 ounces daily of four test beverages, each for 2 weeks, with a washout period between each 2-week test interval.

The beverages that were used in the JUICE trial were not-from-concentrate orange juice, not-from-concentrate orange juice fortified with vitamin C, not-from-concentrate orange juice fortified with vitamins C and E, and a vitamin C–fortified “juice drink” with a lower content of fruit juice.

The effect on blood pressure was similar for all three forms of orange juice: 2 weeks of daily consumption resulted in a mean 10/3.5 mm Hg reduction in resting blood pressure. That represented a 7% decrease in systolic blood pressure and a 4.6% decline in diastolic blood pressure, said Dr. Sprecher, head of preventive cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

Brachial artery reactivity measurements suggested that daily orange juice consumption resulted in improved endothelial function.

The rationale for JUICE was provided by the National Institutes of Health–sponsored Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) trial, which established an effective dietary approach to lowering systolic blood pressure through increased consumption of widely available foods including fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy products, whole grains, fish, and lean meats. Orange juice is rich in potassium, vitamin C, and other antioxidants previously shown individually to reduce blood pressure. A larger trial is planned to evaluate orange juice as a blood pressure–lowering drink. “The potential public health impact could be very exciting,” he remarked.


After 2 weeks, mean resting blood pressure declined 10/3.5 mm Hg. Linda Burke

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