Drink This Popular Juice Everyday To Reduce Your Risk For Heart Disease
Cardiovascular disease is responsible for one death every 34 seconds across the country, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2020, this amounted to roughly 697,000 heart disease-related deaths. As an all-encompassing term, "heart disease" covers any disease that impacts the heart's structure or its ability to function (via the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada). This includes coronary artery and vascular disease, heart arrhythmias, congenital heart disease, heart failure, and more.
People who smoke, as well as individuals diagnosed with certain health conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and obesity, may be more prone to developing heart disease, as per the CDC. Certain lifestyle factors can help mitigate one's risk for heart disease, such as exercise and eating a healthy, well-rounded diet. Interestingly, science shows that another way we might lessen our risk for heart disease may be as simple as adding one popular drink item to our breakfast table each morning. Can you guess what it might be?
The heart health benefits of orange juice
If you guessed orange juice, you'd be correct. "OJ contains plant compounds such as flavonoids, which may be associated with positive heart health outcomes," nutrition consultant Lauren Manaker told The Healthy. Manaker goes on to spotlight one flavonoid in particular: hesperidin. As an antioxidant found in citrus fruits, experts say that hesperidin may help protect against inflammation, as well as cell damage caused by free radicals, which could otherwise lead to heart disease. "Specific flavonoids [such as] hesperidin ... have been linked to outcomes like a reduction in cardiovascular events, a reduction in stroke risk for both men and women, and a reduced risk of coronary heart disease in postmenopausal women," Manaker tells the publication.
Researchers from a 2022 scientific analysis published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition looked at ten prior clinical trials concerning orange juice and its effects on specific heart disease risk factors. Collectively, drinking orange juice was found to substantially decrease levels of participant glucose, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and more. These findings proved strongest amongst those who drank 500 milliliters or more of orange juice each day.