title: The use of a commercial vegetable juice as a practical means to increase vegetable intake: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recommendations for daily dietary vegetable intake were increased in the 2005 USDA Dietary Guidelines as consumption of a diet rich in vegetables has been associated with lower risk of certain chronic health disorders including cardiovascular disease. However, vegetable consumption in the United States has declined over the past decade; consequently, the gap between dietary recommendations and vegetable intake is widening. The primary aim of this study is to determine if drinking vegetable juice is a practical way to help meet daily dietary recommendations for vegetable intake consistent with the 2005 Dietary Guidelines and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. The secondary aim is to assess the effect of a vegetable juice on measures of cardiovascular health.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a 12-week, randomized, controlled, parallel-arm study consisting of 3 groups of free-living, healthy volunteers who participated in study visits at the Ragle Human Nutrition Research Center at the University of California, Davis. All subjects received education on the DASH diet and 0, 8 or 16 fluid ounces of vegetable juice daily. Assessments were completed of daily vegetable servings before and after incorporation of vegetable juice and cardiovascular health parameters including blood pressure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Without the juice, vegetable intake in all groups was lower than the 2005 Dietary Guidelines and DASH diet recommendations. The consumption of the vegetable juice helped participants reach recommended intake. In general, parameters associated with cardiovascular health did not change over time. However, in the vegetable juice intervention groups, subjects who were pre-hypertensive at the start of the study showed a significant decrease in blood pressure during the 12-week intervention period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Including 1-2 cups of vegetable juice daily was an effective and acceptable way for healthy adults to close the dietary vegetable gap. Increase in daily vegetable intake was associated with a reduction in blood pressure in subjects who were pre-hypertensive at the start of the trial.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01161706.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, University of California Davis, Davis, California 95616, USA.
authors.forename: Sonia F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Shenoy
authors.forename: Alexandra G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Kazaks
authors.forename: Roberta R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Holt
authors.forename: Hsin Ju
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Barbara L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Winters
authors.forename: Chor San
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Khoo
authors.forename: Walker S C
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Poston
authors.forename: C Keith
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Haddock
authors.forename: Rebecca S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Reeves
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Foreyt
authors.forename: M Eric
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Gershwin
authors.forename: Carl L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Keen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001628:Beverages; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014675:Vegetables