Effect of daily intake of a low-alcohol orange beverage on cardiovascular risk factors in hypercholesterolemic humans

Oxidative stress, inflammation status, endothelial dysfunction, and imbalanced lipid metabolism play a major role in cardiovascular disease. Bioactive compounds and moderate alcohol consumption have been associated with decreased cardiovascular risk. This study aimed to evaluate the effect on cardiovascular risk factors of a low-alcohol beverage derived from the alcoholic fermentation of orange juice. Eighteen individuals with moderately high cholesterol levels were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 9) who drank 500 mL/day of the orange beverage for 2 weeks or a control group (n = 9) who drank no orange beverage. Blood samples were drawn at the beginning and end of the study period. Consumption of the beverage significantly decreased plasma levels of total cholesterol (−15.6%), LDL-cholesterol (−17.8%), LDL-cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol ratio (−21.4%), catalase (−25.5%), TBARS (−42.6%), and sVCAM-1 (−5.8%). This orange beverage would have a potential capacity to improve cardiovascular risk in hypercholesterolemic humans, supporting its future consideration as a functional beverage.