How Much V8 Juice to Lower Blood Pressure?

V8 brand vegetable juice is advertised as providing a tasty alternative to eating raw or cooked whole vegetables. The label states that one serving of V8 is equal to two servings of vegetables. If you have elevated blood pressure, you may be in the process of looking at improving your diet. V8 or other brands of vegetable juice may be useful in helping you meet your goals.

Scientific Evidence

• Campbell Soup Co., the makers of V8 brand juices, co-sponsored a study at the University of California, Davis to see if drinking vegetable juice would have a significant impact on the health of the participants. During the 12- week study, the control group was educated on the importance of increasing vegetable intake. The study group was instructed to drink two servings of V8 vegetable juice daily. The findings, presented at the International Symposium on Human Health Effects of Fruits and Vegetables in Avignon, France, in October 2009, were that the control group did not significantly increase their intake of vegetables in spite of the information they were given, and their weight loss was only an average of one pound each. Their blood pressure was not noticeably affected. The study group did increase their vegetable intake, in the form of the juice, and lost an average of four pounds each with a drop in their blood pressure.

  In publishing the results, the researchers stated that the results show that drinking juice can help people to increase their vegetable intake because it is easier and more enjoyable than simply adding raw or cooked vegetables every day. Since V8 is portable, and comes in a variety of flavors it may be a good tool to get people to begin healthier habits.

  If you would like to use V8 or other brand of vegetable juice to try and improve your blood pressure, you will need to follow the instructions given to the study participants and drink at least two servings of the juice per day. This is the equivalent of four servings of vegetables prepared any other way. You will also do well to add at least two servings of fruit to your diet also. Before beginning any new regimen, it's a good idea to consult your health-care professional, if only to get a benchmark reading on your blood pressure. After a few weeks of your new eating and drinking plan, have your blood pressure checked again to measure results.