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Dr. Dennis Sprecher, head of the section of Preventive
Cardiology in the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine
at The Cleveland Clinic, discusses the study. (Apple Quicktime
video)
Cleveland Clinic Research Shows Orange Juice Lowers Blood
Pressure
March 2002 (Newstream) -- Drinking two glasses of orange
juice daily for six weeks significantly reduced blood pressure
in a pilot study conducted at The Cleveland Clinic.
Dennis Sprecher, M.D., presented the findings of the JUICE
study on March 19, 2002, in Atlanta at the annual Scientific
Session of the American College of Cardiology. Dr. Sprecher
is head of the section of Preventive Cardiology in the Department
of Cardiovascular Medicine at The Cleveland Clinic. The
JUICE (Juice Utilization Improves Cardiovascular Endpoints)
study is the first research to indicate that an everyday
food or beverage can lower blood pressure.
"Previous studies have suggested that many of the nutrients
found naturally in orange juice, such as potassium, vitamin
C and other antioxidants, have a beneficial effect on blood
pressure," Dr. Sprecher said. "The next logical step was
to find out whether orange juice itself could provide a
measurable improvement."
In this study, sponsored by a grant from Tropicana, Dr.
Sprecher tested four different beverages, including three
100% orange juices, for two weeks each. There were 24 subjects
who had partial blockage in the arteries leading to their
heart but whose hypertension and serum cholesterol were
then under control. The beverages tested were: (1) a vitamin
C-fortified juice drink; (2) not-from-concentrate orange
juice; (3) not-from-concentrate orange juice fortified with
vitamin C; and (4) not-from-concentrate orange juice fortified
with vitamins C and E.
During the trial period, all medications were discontinued
immediately before each clinic visit. Patients drank two
glasses (16 ounces) of the test beverage daily. At the end
of each two-week period measurements were taken of blood
pressure and "brachial artery reactivity" or BART, an indicator
of vessel flexibility.
"After adjusting for age, gender and baseline blood pressure,
we found that orange juice produced on average about a 10mm/Hg
or 7 percent reduction in systolic blood pressure and about
a 3.5 mm/Hg or 4.6 percent reduction in diastolic blood
pressure," Dr. Sprecher said. None of the patients in the
study gained weight.
The researchers concluded that "orange juice appears to
positively influence vascular regulation and may have implications
for public health strategies toward blood pressure control."
Hypertension is the most common cardiovascular problem
in the United States and is 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 hypertension the "silent
killer" because often there are no symptoms.
Although the causes of hypertension are unknown in 95 percent
of cases, diet and lifestyle factors are known to play a
key role. Factors that have been found to reduce risk include
maintaining a healthy weight, having a physically active
lifestyle and following a diet high in fruits and vegetables,
whole grains, lean meats and fish, legumes, seeds and nuts.
"The findings from this pilot study are consistent with
the results of research on the impact of the DASH program,"
Dr. Sprecher said. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to
Stop Hypertension and is a program that was clinically proven
to lower systolic blood pressure.
"As a next step, we plan to repeat our experiment in a
larger number of people," Dr. Sprecher said. "The potential
public health impact could be very exciting."
The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, founded in 1921, integrates
clinical and hospital care with research and education in
a private, not-for-profit group practice. Approximately
1,100 full-time salaried physicians at The Cleveland Clinic
and Cleveland Clinic Florida represent more than 100 medical
specialties and subspecialties. In 2000, there were more
than 2 million outpatient visits to The Cleveland Clinic
Foundation. Patients came for treatment from every state
and from more than 80 countries. There were more than 51,000
hospital admissions to The Cleveland Clinic Foundation in
2000. The Cleveland Clinic website address is www.clevelandclinic.org.
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 Produced
for Tropicana
Contact:
Paige Moore, 212-812-7082
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