Effect of β-cryptoxanthin–rich Satsuma mandarin juice supplementation on pulse wave velocity: A randomized controlled trial

Background and Aims Cohort studies in Japan indicate that citrus fruit and β-cryptoxanthin–rich Satsuma mandarin are candidate foods for lowering cardiovascular risk; however, there have been few intervention studies of β-cryptoxanthin and Satsuma mandarin supplementation. Methods and Results A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind parallel trial was performed. Apparently healthy men and women were randomly assigned to two groups: one receiving concentrated β-cryptoxanthin–rich Satsuma mandarin juice (β-cryptoxanthin 4 mg per 125 mL/day: active group) and one receiving β-cryptoxanthin–deprived Satsuma mandarin juice (β-cryptoxanthin 0 mg per 125 mL/day: control group) for 12 weeks. The primary outcome was brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), which assesses arterial stiffness. An oxidative stress biomarker and clinical outcomes were also evaluated. Effect of the intervention on the outcome variables was analyzed using generalized linear mixed models. After the trial, a prespecified 8-month follow-up examination was conducted. One hundred eighteen subjects were randomly assigned, and 117 completed the intervention. Serum β-cryptoxanthin concentration was increased among the active group after β-cryptoxanthin–rich Satsuma mandarin juice supplementation. Both supplementations lowered baPWV and oxidative stress biomarker levels; however, there was no additional effect in the active group compared with the control group. At the 8-month examination, the increase in baPWV among the active group was smaller than that among the control group. Conclusion Satsuma mandarin juice supplementation is potentially beneficial for reducing cardiovascular risk; however, additional β-cryptoxanthin supplementation did not enhance this effect. Further study is needed to evaluate the long-term effect of β-cryptoxanthin supplementation. Registration UMIN-CTR, UMIN000013579.