Increased Vegetable Intake Associated with Lowering Blood Pressure

(nutritionjournal.com) — A study conducted at the University of California-Davis investigated whether the use of commercial vegetable juice was an effective way to increase daily intake of vegetables in adults. The 12 week, randomized, controlled, parallel-arm study included healthy volunteers aged 40 to 65 years.

The participants received education on the DASH diet and 0, 8 or 16 ounces of vegetable juice daily. It was found that without the addition of vegetable juice, the participants’ vegetable intake was lower than the 2005 Dietary Guidelines. Consumption of vegetable juice helped the participants reach the recommended daily intake.

The results also revealed that the subjects who were pre-hypertensive at the start of the study showed significant decreases in blood pressure over the course of the study. The researchers found that the participants drinking the vegetable juice enjoyed the juice and felt that they were doing something healthy for themselves by drinking it, which is important for developing long-term healthy eating habits. These findings suggest that drinking one to two cups of vegetable juice per day is an effective way to fill the daily vegetable dietary gap for healthy adults and it may also reduce blood pressure in pre-hypertensive adults.

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