Gordon Werner

Aerospace Notebook: Coffee, tea ...or lemon juice?

Monday, August 27, 2001

By JAMES WALLACE
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Coffee, tea ...or lemon juice. Japanese researchers say passengers on long-haul jet flights can reduce the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) by drinking lemon juice.

Also known as "economy-class syndrome," DVT is a condition that can cause blood clots to form in the legs of passengers who sit in the same, cramped seat position for a long time.

It has been blamed for at least one death, that of woman who died last October after a 20-hour flight from Australia to Britain.

Doctors advise that passengers on long flights get out of their seats occasionally and walk around the plane.

And maybe they should also drink some lemon juice.

The juice contains substances that can help regulate blood circulation and reduce the risk of clots forming, according to the findings of a Japanese research team.

They discovered that blood traveled 19 percent faster in the veins of 13 volunteers who drank the juice of one large lemon.

Sukie Nishibori, research team leader, was quoted as saying that airline passengers should have a lemon drink once every five hours during a long-haul flight.


Aerospace Notebook is a weekly feature by P-I aerospace reporter James Wallace. He can be reached at jameswallace@seattlepi.com or 206-448-8040.