Beneficial effects of OJ on blood vessels and blood pressure
Studies show benefits of some polyphenol-rich foods on several markers for cardiovascular diseases.
Researchers at Centre Clermont-Ferrand–Theix, in France, studied whether these effects might be related to hesperidin, the major polyphenol of the orange juice.
First, the details.
- 24 healthy overweight adult men received each treatment at different times — crossover study — for 4 weeks each.
- Orange juice 500 mL
- Hesperidin + 500 mL control drink
- Placebo + 500 mL control drink
And, the results.
- Diastolic blood pressure was significantly lower after orange juice or hesperidin than after consumption of placebo.
- Microvascular endothelium-related reactivity (the small blood vessels that feed the heart) was not significantly affected when measured after an overnight fast.
- Orange juice and hesperidin significantly improved postprandial microvascular endothelial reactivity vs placebo when measured at the peak blood levels of hesperidin.
The bottom line?
The authors concluded, “Hesperidin could be causally linked to the beneficial effect of orange juice.”
These results support the results from an earlier study in animals.
The study was supported by a grant from the Florida Department of Citrus.
12/15/10 22:23 JR
