title: Polyphenol-rich juices reduce blood pressure measures in a randomised controlled trial in high normal and hypertensive volunteers.
abstract: Intake of fruits and berries may lower blood pressure (BP), most probably due to the high content of polyphenols. In the present study, we tested whether consumption of two polyphenol-rich juices could lower BP. In a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of 12 weeks, 134 healthy individuals, aged 50-70 years, with high normal range BP (130/85-139/89 mmHg, seventy-two subjects) or stage 1-2 hypertension (140/90-179/109 mmHg, sixty-two subjects), were included. They consumed 500 ml/d of one of either (1) a commercially available polyphenol-rich juice based on red grapes, cherries, chokeberries and bilberries; (2) a juice similar to (1) but enriched with polyphenol-rich extracts from blackcurrant press-residue or (3) a placebo juice (polyphenol contents 245·5, 305·2 and 76 mg/100 g, respectively). Resting BP was measured three times, with a 1 min interval, at baseline and after 6 and 12 weeks of intervention. Systolic BP significantly reduced over time (6 and 12 weeks, respectively) in the pooled juice group compared with the placebo group in the first of the three measurements, both for the whole study group (6·9 and 3·4 mmHg; P= 0·01) and even more pronounced in the hypertensive subjects when analysed separately (7·3 and 6·8 mmHg; P= 0·04). The variation in the BP measurements was significantly reduced in the pooled juice group compared with the placebo group (1·4 and 1·7 mmHg; P= 0·03). In conclusion, the present findings suggest that polyphenol-rich berry juice may contribute to a BP- and BP variability lowering effect, being more pronounced in hypertensive than in normotensive subjects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition,Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo,Sognsvannsveien 9, PO Box 1046, Blindern,0317Oslo,Norway.
authors.forename: Torunn Elisabeth
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Tjelle
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition,Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo,Sognsvannsveien 9, PO Box 1046, Blindern,0317Oslo,Norway.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Holtung
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition,Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo,Sognsvannsveien 9, PO Box 1046, Blindern,0317Oslo,Norway.
authors.forename: Siv Kjølsrud
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Bøhn
authors.affiliation: NOFIMA, Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research,Osloveien 1, NO-1430Ås,Norway.
authors.forename: Kjersti
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aaby
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics,University of Oslo,Oslo,Norway.
authors.forename: Magne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thoresen
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition,Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo,Sognsvannsveien 9, PO Box 1046, Blindern,0317Oslo,Norway.
authors.forename: Siv Åshild
authors.initials: SÅ
authors.lastname: Wiik
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition,Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo,Sognsvannsveien 9, PO Box 1046, Blindern,0317Oslo,Norway.
authors.forename: Ingvild
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Paur
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition,Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo,Sognsvannsveien 9, PO Box 1046, Blindern,0317Oslo,Norway.
authors.forename: Anette Solli
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Karlsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition,Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo,Sognsvannsveien 9, PO Box 1046, Blindern,0317Oslo,Norway.
authors.forename: Kjetil
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Retterstøl
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition,Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo,Sognsvannsveien 9, PO Box 1046, Blindern,0317Oslo,Norway.
authors.forename: Per Ole
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Iversen
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition,Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo,Sognsvannsveien 9, PO Box 1046, Blindern,0317Oslo,Norway.
authors.forename: Rune
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Blomhoff
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry; D000067030:Fruit and Vegetable Juices / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway; D046936:Photinia / Q000737:chemistry; D059808:Polyphenols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D027861:Prunus / Q000737:chemistry; D029800:Vaccinium myrtillus / Q000737:chemistry; D027843:Vitis / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D059808:Polyphenols
keywords: Berries; Blood pressure; Blood pressure variability; Clinical trials; Intervention study; Juices; Polyphenols