Antihypertensive effect of sweetie fruit in patients with stage I hypertension.
BACKGROUND
Interventional studies have shown that increased intake of fruit and vegetables reduces blood pressure (BP). However, the contribution of specific dietary components has not been evaluated. The aim of the present study was to determine, in patients with stage I hypertension, the antihypertensive effect of juice of the so-called sweetie fruit (a hybrid between grapefruit and pummelo) with and without high flavonoid content.


METHODS
A double-blind, cross-over study was conducted in 12 patients. Each patient received alternately high-flavonoid (HF) sweetie juice and low-flavonoid (LF) sweetie juice, each for a 5-week period. The LF sweetie juice had 25% of naringin and 30% of narirutin content compared with the original HF sweetie juice.


RESULTS
The HF sweetie juice was more effective than LF sweetie juice in reducing diastolic blood pressure (P = .04). Systolic blood pressure declined in both groups; however there was no significant difference between subjects given HF sweetie versus those given LF sweetie juice.


CONCLUSIONS
In this study HF sweetie juice was shown to have a significant beneficial effect in reducing diastolic blood pressure, compared with the effect observed with LF sweetie juice, in patients with stage I hypertension. These data suggest that the active ingredients associated with the antihypertensive effect of sweetie juice are the flavonoids naringin and narirutin.
Reshef
Naama
N
Metabolic Unit, Kaplan Medical Center, Rehovot, Israel.
Hayari
Yacov
Y
Goren
Camelia
C
Boaz
Mona
M
Madar
Zecharia
Z
Knobler
Hilla
H
D000328:Adult; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D002957:Citrus; D032083:Citrus paradisi; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000145:classification / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008517:Phytotherapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D001786:Blood Glucose; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D005419:Flavonoids; D014280:Triglycerides