Nutritional Pearls: Does Fruit Juice Affect Central Blood Pressure?
John is a 55-year-old man with relatively high central blood pressure. He has been warned that high central blood pressure can be associated with increased risk of stroke and cognitive impairment. He wants to know if there are any lifestyle changes he should make to help lower his levels.
You ask John to go through his daily diet and learn that he starts his morning with a glass of fruit juice—and replaces soda with juice several times a day.
How would you advise your patient?
What is the correct answer?
(Answer and discussion on next page)
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Answer: Daily juice intake linked to higher central blood pressure.
A recently published study1 compared the juice intake of 146 elderly men and women with their central blood pressures. The findings: Individuals who reported drinking fruit juice on a daily basis had statistically significant higher central blood pressures than those who never drank juice or only drank it rarely.
Why is this important? Central blood pressure is more directly related to the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and cognitive impairment than brachial blood pressure. As a person ages, the aorta loses its elasticity and becomes stiffer, which results in higher central blood pressure. This is often not reflected, or reflected only minimally, in the brachial blood pressure, making it an important indicator of heart health in the elderly.
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The Research
The participants in the study1 were all recruited from the community and were living independently. All were without diagnosed heart disease, diabetes, or neurological problems, and were non-smokers.
A food frequency questionnaire asked the participants to recall their intake of various foods and beverages—including fruit juice—over the last year.
For the duration of the study, the participants’ brachial blood pressures were taken on multiple occasions in the same laboratory visit, and then their central blood pressure was measured using a sophisticated device that has been shown to accurately estimate the central blood pressure by measuring pressure waves from the aorta to the wrist.
The Results
Individuals who consumed fruit juice on a daily basis had a central blood pressure 4 mm higher than those who never drank juice and 3 mm higher than those who drank it “rarely” or “occasionally.” This held true even when the scientists excluded those who were being treated for high blood pressure.
Additional Research
This phenomenon is not new; a 2010 study previously linked the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages with higher blood pressure.2
Note: The 2010 study was prospective, allowing researchers to determine a causal relationship between sugar-sweetened beverages and blood pressure. The recent study can only show correlation, not causality—but the authors point out that this study “was designed to be hypothesis generating.”
Regardless, fruit juices offer a lot of sugar (whether added or intrinsic to the fruit) and not nearly as much fiber as the fruit itself.
What’s the “Take Home”?
Tell your patients to skip the juice in favor of eating the fruit—they’ll get the same vitamins and minerals along with satisfying fiber.
1. Pase MP, Grima N, Cockerell R, Pipingas A. Habitual intake of fruit juice predicts central blood pressure. Appetite. 2014;84:68-72.
2. Chen L, Caballero B, Mitchell DC, Loria C, et al. Reducing Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Is Associated With Reduced Blood Pressure. Circulation 2010;121(22):2398-2406