Drink Cherry Juice To Reduce Blood Pressure

Drinking 60ml of cherry concentrate diluted in water is enough to cut the risk of stroke by 38% and heart disease by 23%, a study has claimed.

13:21 06 May 2016

Scientists at Northumbria University have found that drinking cherry juice is as effective as taking drugs in cutting the risk of stroke and heart disease.

 

According to the study, patients saw their blood pressure drop by 7per cent just three hours after drinking 60ml of cherry concentrate diluted with water. The same result is achieved by taking blood pressure medications.

 

High blood pressure increases the risk of heart attack, heart failure, kidney disease, stroke and dementia.

 

In the test, 15 volunteers who were displaying early signs of high blood pressure were given either a 60ml of a Montmorency cherry concentrate diluted in 100ml of water or the same volume of a “placebo” drink, a fruit-flavoured cordial. Those who were given cherry concentrate saw their peak blood pressure dropped by 7per cent compared to those who drank the cordial drink.

 

Study leader Karen Keane, whose work was funded by the Cherry Marketing Institute in the US, said: ‘The majority of cardiovascular disease is caused by risk factors that can be controlled, treated or modified.

'These include high blood pressure, cholesterol, obesity, tobacco use, lack of physical activity and diabetes.

 

‘Raised blood pressure is the leading cause of deaths from cardiovascular disease, yet relatively small reductions in blood pressure can have a large impact on mortality rates.

 

‘The magnitude of the blood pressure lowering effects we observed was comparable to those achieved by a single anti-hypertensive drug and highlights the potential importance that Montmorency cherries could have in the effective management of high blood pressure.’