11.02.15
Intake of fruits and berries may lower blood pressure (BP), most likely due to the high content of polyphenols. In a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition researchers tested whether consumption of two polyphenol-rich juices could lower BP.
In a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of 12 weeks, 134 healthy individuals, aged 50–70 years, with high-normal range BP (130/85–139/89 mmHg, 72 subjects) or stage 1-2 hypertension (140/90–179/109 mmHg, 62 subjects), were included. They consumed 500 ml/d of one of either (1) a commercially available polyphenol-rich juice based on red grapes, cherries, chokeberries and bilberries; (2) a juice similar to (1) but enriched with polyphenol-rich extracts from blackcurrant press-residue or (3) a placebo juice (polyphenol contents 245·5, 305·2 and 76 mg/100 g, respectively). Resting BP was measured three times, with a 1 minute interval, at baseline and after 6 and 12 weeks of intervention.
Systolic BP significantly reduced over time (6 and 12 weeks, respectively) in the pooled juice group compared with the placebo group in the first of the three measurements, both for the whole study group (6·9 and 3·4 mmHg; P= 0·01) and even more pronounced in the hypertensive subjects when analyzed separately (7·3 and 6·8 mmHg; P= 0·04). The variation in the BP measurements was significantly reduced in the pooled juice group compared with the placebo group (1·4 and 1·7 mmHg; P= 0·03).
Researchers concluded findings suggest that polyphenol-rich berry juice may contribute to a BP- and BP variability lowering effect, being more pronounced in hypertensive than in normotensive subjects.
In a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of 12 weeks, 134 healthy individuals, aged 50–70 years, with high-normal range BP (130/85–139/89 mmHg, 72 subjects) or stage 1-2 hypertension (140/90–179/109 mmHg, 62 subjects), were included. They consumed 500 ml/d of one of either (1) a commercially available polyphenol-rich juice based on red grapes, cherries, chokeberries and bilberries; (2) a juice similar to (1) but enriched with polyphenol-rich extracts from blackcurrant press-residue or (3) a placebo juice (polyphenol contents 245·5, 305·2 and 76 mg/100 g, respectively). Resting BP was measured three times, with a 1 minute interval, at baseline and after 6 and 12 weeks of intervention.
Systolic BP significantly reduced over time (6 and 12 weeks, respectively) in the pooled juice group compared with the placebo group in the first of the three measurements, both for the whole study group (6·9 and 3·4 mmHg; P= 0·01) and even more pronounced in the hypertensive subjects when analyzed separately (7·3 and 6·8 mmHg; P= 0·04). The variation in the BP measurements was significantly reduced in the pooled juice group compared with the placebo group (1·4 and 1·7 mmHg; P= 0·03).
Researchers concluded findings suggest that polyphenol-rich berry juice may contribute to a BP- and BP variability lowering effect, being more pronounced in hypertensive than in normotensive subjects.
