They discovered that middle-aged men who drank half-a-liter of juice every day for a month, equivalent to about two glasses, saw a significant decline in their blood pressure readings, private news channel reported.

Findings confirm the presence of a natural plant chemical called hesperidin -- part of a class of disease-fighting compounds found in plant foods like tea, fruit, soya and cocoa.

High blood pressure, which puts the arteries under greater pressure when the heart beats, affects one in five people and is one of the major risk factors contributing to a cardiac arrest.

The World Health Organization estimates that 50% of all heart attacks and strokes are due to raised blood pressure.

The finding has been published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

From the December 13, 2010, Prepared Foods' Daily News
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