Healthy living: fruit juice helps to reduce high blood pressure

A health and fitness consultant , Dr Bisi
Abiola , has said that fruit juice could
reduce the risk of high blood pressure, if
taken regularly .
Abiola stated this during an event recently
held in Lagos .
The fitness coach said that drinking a glass
of fruit juice would give an individual the
opportunity to get at least eight per cent of
daily potassium , which neutralises sodium
and helps to lower blood pressure.
She said , “ The overall amount of sodium
and potassium in your diet affects your
blood pressure. Sodium makes it go up,
while potassium offsets sodium and helps to
lower it. Research has shown that
consuming more potassium reduces BP in
people with hypertension . Most of us only
get about half of the recommended dietary
allowance for potassium . ”
Aware that many hypertensive individuals
resort to medication , Abiola added ,
“Medication is not the only way to control
high BP, otherwise known as hypertension .
Lifestyle and diet also play an important
role in managing such a health challenge ” .
According to her , fruit juice produces
bioflavonoids, such as hesperidin which
functions as an antioxidant and can help to
lower cholesterol.
She said , “When healthy, reasonably
overweight men drink orange juice daily
for four weeks and their diastolic BP goes
down , the researchers who were searching
for hesperidin’ s role concluded that the
bioflavonoid was probably linked to the
beneficial effects. Another study confirmed
that regular consumption of hesperidin
helps to prevent hypertension . ”
Abiola also described Vitamin B folate from
fruit juice as useful in preventing
hypertension . In her view , individuals who
consumed folate from their early adult age
were at a lower risk for high blood pressure
later in life.
“A number of reputable authors have
concluded that 100 per cent fruit juice , or
whole fruit , is not significantly associated
with increased risk of hypertension or
diabetes. Evidence indicates a modest but
consistent reduction in blood pressure with
100 per cent fruit juice , ” she said .