Pokka Sapporo and Kitanagoya City Report Health Study on Daily 30ml Lemon Juice Intake

Pokka Sapporo Food & Beverage Ltd. and Kitanagoya City in Aichi Prefecture reported results from the “Project to Make Citizens Healthy and Happy with Lemon,” conducted from September to December 2025 with 249 Kitanagoya residents. The study examined the health effects of continuously consuming 30ml of lemon juice per day. The company operates a factory in Kitanagoya City that mainly manufactures lemon-related products and has developed alongside the local community for more than 60 years. In 2012, it signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement with the city and has since deepened initiatives related to health and food education through lemons. In 2024, the partners launched this project to further promote those efforts. In the first phase, the mayor of Kitanagoya and city office staff took part in a health study in which they consumed 30ml of lemon juice per day for three months. The results suggested a tendency for systolic blood pressure to decline, especially among participants with relatively high systolic blood pressure, indicating a possible contribution to maintaining health. Based on those findings, the second phase expanded participation to city residents and examined the effects of incorporating lemon juice into daily life from multiple perspectives. The study ran from September to December 2025 and involved 249 Kitanagoya residents. Participants consumed 30ml of lemon juice per day, roughly equivalent to the juice of one fresh lemon, for three months. Examinations were conducted three times: before intake began, 1.5 months after starting, and three months after starting. Items measured included blood pressure, body measurements, urine tests, and questionnaires on lifestyle, sleep, stress, and related factors. The analysis covered 227 participants who completed all three examinations. For the overall average among the 227 analyzed participants, systolic blood pressure did not show a major change compared with before lemon juice intake. However, among participants whose systolic blood pressure before intake was in the normal-high to high range, from 120mmHg to 139mmHg, a significant decrease in systolic blood pressure was confirmed after three months of lemon juice intake. Regarding sleep quality, the overall average showed improvement after continuous lemon juice intake. Stratified analysis found that improvement was particularly large among participants whose sleep quality had been poor before intake. Under Kitanagoya City’s declaration as a “Healthy and Comfortable City,” this project enabled a citizen-participatory health verification of continuous lemon juice intake in daily life. While no major change was observed in average systolic blood pressure across all analyzed participants, a decrease was confirmed among those with relatively high systolic blood pressure, and a significant improvement in sleep quality was also observed. These findings suggest that continuously consuming 30ml of lemon juice per day may help maintain a healthy condition. Going forward, the company aims to use the insights gained from this project to create health value from lemons, communicate the findings clearly to residents and a wider audience, and contribute to everyday well-being. Kitanagoya Mayor Ota commented that the continuous efforts of participating residents produced very favorable results. He said the outcome is highly meaningful because it shows that small daily habits can lead to health, and that the city hopes to apply these findings to future health policies while promoting initiatives toward becoming a Healthy and Comfortable City.