We are all well aware of the impact of what we eat on our health and wellbeing. Certain foods can raise your risk for some conditions, while others can lower it.
This includes what we drink too, with one drink in particular packed with some powerful nutrients that could help protect us from dangerous conditions and illnesses.
According to scientific research, orange juice has the potential to reduce both cholesterol levels and blood pressure.
Both these conditions are major risk factors for medical emergencies such as strokes and heart attacks.
Worryingly, they affect a large group of the UK population, with around half of people thought to have high cholesterol and a third believed to have hypertension.
But adding orange juice to your regular diet could be one way to help this.
Orange juice and cholesterol
A study, published in the journal Lipids in Health and Disease in 2023, found that drinking two glasses of orange juice every day could reduce cholesterol levels.
As part of the study, the team looked at 129 participants between the ages of 18 and 66.
Of these participants, 41 percent enjoyed two cups of orange juice – totalling around 480ml – per day for at least a year.
The researchers noticed that those who regularly enjoyed the drink had “significantly lower” levels of total cholesterol.
These findings were consistent across people who had normal cholesterol and also high levels.
However, those who skipped their daily intake of orange juice didn’t see the same results.
A separate meta-analysis of nine existing reports concluded that orange juice consumption might have beneficial effects on blood low-density lipoprotein (“bad” cholesterol) levels, but no significant effects were observed for serum levels of total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein (“good” cholesterol).
But it added: “However, we suggest that further research in the form of high-quality clinical interventions be done, since there are substantial inconsistencies among the included studies.”
Orange juice and blood pressure
A study, published in Arya Atherosclerosis journal in 2013, tested the impact of orange juice on blood pressure.
It found that people who consumed orange juice over a 60 day period showed a “significant” reduction in blood pressure, whilst the other subjects did not.
The study said: “Commercial citrus sinensis juice significantly decreased blood pressure. Higher flavonoid, pectin, and essential oils content of concentrated products compared to natural juice might have been responsible for this finding.”
Another study showed that drinking orange juice over a 12-week period reduced blood pressure among participants.
The paper, published in European Journal of Nutrition in 2021, said: “Hesperidin in orange juice reduces systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure after sustained consumption, and after a single dose, the chronic consumption of hesperidin-enriched orange juice enhances its postprandial effect.
“Hesperidin-enriched orange juice could be a useful co-adjuvant tool for blood pressure and pulse pressure management in pre- and stage-1 hypertensive individuals.”
However, orange juice does come with a warning as it contains around 24 grams of sugar per serving, which is something to consider if you are diabetic or trying to lose weight.
If you are concerned about your cholesterol or blood pressure levels you should speak to your doctor.