Juice from this citrus fruit contains essential nutrients and antioxidants that can be good for your heart, but its connection to hypertension is up for debate.

Breakfast foods may come and go, but orange juice remains a kitchen-table mainstay: One forecast noted that $33 billion in OJ will be sold worldwide in 2023, and the market is expected to grow even more in the next five years. Adding to its appeal, OJ has been highlighted in recent research on fruit juices for its potential role in lowering blood pressure. Too good to be true? Unfortunately, that may be the case, according to Shahid Rahman, M.D., an interventional cardiologist at Memorial Hermann in Houston, TX. “Some studies suggest that orange juice may lead to lower blood pressure, but there are caveats,” Dr. Rahman says. “The research doesn’t answer the question of how the juice affects blood pressure over a lifetime.”

While drinking orange juice did have blood-pressure lowering effects on study participants in the short-term, the findings are unclear regarding how it might affect blood pressure over the long term. Plus, the high sugar content in juice carries health risks as well. So, what role should orange juice play in your day if you have hypertension? We asked the experts to help us sort the truth from the (pulp) fiction.

What the Research on Orange Juice Says

The most notable link between fruit juices and blood pressure appeared in a 2021 research review published in the journal Nutrients. Researchers looked at several potential effects of juice consumption and noted that in a group of 19 studies comprising 618 participants total, drinking fruit juice reduced diastolic blood pressure by 2.07 mmHg compared to a placebo. That might not sound like much of a difference, but the researchers added that such a reduction could lower the incidence of hypertension by 17% in the general population.

The study’s researchers also noted that regularly sipping fruit juice was statistically linked with a 33% reduced risk of dying from stroke, which was greater than the risk reduction effect of eating whole fruits and vegetables.

Another group of studies delivered similar results, with juice-drinking participants showing lower risk of stroke and other cardiovascular events, in part thanks to their lowered blood pressure.

Why Juices May Be Helpful for Hypertension

The researchers hypothesized that the positive effects of sipping juice, including orange juice, could be credited to the nutrients and antioxidant compounds they contain. Specifically, they highlighted components of juice that may be helpful, such as:

Folate
Polyphenols
Potassium
Vitamin C

Orange juice, in particular, has a high amount of potassium, an electrolyte that increases blood vessel dilation and the amount of sodium excreted in urine—which, in turn, can decrease blood pressure for those who have hypertension, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Polyphenols, a class of compounds found in many plant foods, have also been found to improve blood pressure levels, especially if you eat a wide variety of options.

Should You Buy More Orange Juice?

While the study found the drinking juice helped lower blood pressure, this isn’t a free pass to drink loads of orange juice. “There just isn’t enough evidence here to show that drinking orange juice will benefit your blood pressure management efforts in the long run,” Dr. Rahman adds. “In fact, any highly concentrated, sugary drink is poor for long-term health overall, and orange juice would fall into the category.”

While orange juice contains vitamins, it’s mainly the type of sugar (known as fructose) found in oranges that is cause for health concern, says Dr. Rahman. Also, you’re better off eating oranges than drinking orange juice, which lacks the same amount of fiber (even if you get juice with pulp) that the whole fruit boasts. Fiber is important because it delays sugar absorption in the digestive tract; without it, the fructose is absorbed too quickly, affecting blood sugar levels, Dr. Rahman notes.

“The rapid rise in blood glucose will lead to an insulin spike,” Dr. Rahman says. Repeated spikes could lead to insulin resistance, he explains, which means the body isn’t processing sugar as well as it could be. “Insulin resistance can cause high blood sugar, high cholesterol, and a myriad of health problems,” Dr. Rahman adds. “There are better ways to get the kind of vitamins that are in orange juice without consuming such a sugary beverage.”

Finding a Middle Ground

You don’t need to pass up OJ if you enjoy it, but a bit of moderation can temper your blood sugar. Rather than drinking a big glass of orange juice on its own, which could heighten an insulin spike, better to pair a small 5-ounce glass with a hearty meal containing fiber to slow that sugar in your system, according to Dana Hunnes, Ph.D., a registered dietitian at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. For instance, start your day with a couple eggs and some whole-grain, fiber-filled toast.

Navigating the orange juice and high blood pressure debate is one of many nutrition-related calls to make when managing a chronic condition like hypertension. There’s no one diet recommended for people with high blood pressure, as your age, overall health, calorie needs, and level of physical activity all influence what and how much you should eat, says Hunnes. That’s why speaking with a dietitian that’s part of your health team can be helpful.

“Although dietitians do meal planning, that’s far from all we provide,” Hunes says. “We can address cultural preferences, talk about nutrition related to specific health conditions, and educate on the ways that foods interact with medications.”

Your dietitian can come up with an eating plan that helps you manage high blood pressure and that fits with other aspects of your hypertension management, like exercise, medication, and other lifestyle changes. And if you like, Hunes says, that approach can include an occasional glass of orange juice—but maybe don’t count on it as a way to lower your blood pressure.

Notes: This article was originally published October 8, 2011 and most recently updated June 6, 2023.

Source: https://www.healthcentral.com/