New review suggests drinking 100 percent fruit juice may offer disease-fighting benefits

Drinking 100 percent fruit juices could have protective health benefits similar to those of whole fruits, according to research presented in a literature review yesterday at the 2011 Experimental Biology (EB) meeting.

Highlights from a new report summarizing recent research on the potential benefits of fruit juice suggest a positive association between intake of 100 percent juice and reduced risk for several chronic diseases, including cancer, markers for cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline.

"While it is universally accepted that fruit and vegetable intake is protective, there is not a clear consensus about the benefits of consuming the juices that are extracted from them," said the review's author, Dianne Hyson, PhD, MS, RD. "An analysis of the scientific evidence suggests that 100 percent fruit juices retain important bioactive components that may promote good health and aid in disease prevention."

Among the fruit juices included in the review, consumption of apple, citrus, cranberry, grape, and pomegranate juices all showed beneficial effects. Markers of improved health ranged from reductions in urinary tract infections (cranberry) to improvements in age-related cognitive decline (grape and apple) to reduced risk of prostate (pomegranate) and respiratory and digestive (orange, grapefruit) cancers. Additionally, intake of all juices was linked to heightened antioxidant activity.

Research examined in the review, which was completed at the University of California - Davis, included a range of study types, from in vitro to clinical trials (60 papers total), all published in 2005 or later.

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For more information on the health benefits of 100 percent fruit juice, please visit www.fruitjuicefacts.org.

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According to a NHANES analysis, drinking 100 percent fruit juice daily can lower our risk of chronic diseases.

New research, presented April 22, 2009 at the Experimental Biology (EB) 2009 meeting shows that men and women who drink 100 percent juice daily are leaner, and have lower risk of heart attack, diabetes, and stroke from metabolic syndrome - a cluster of symptoms including high blood pressure, elevated triglyceride levels, abdominal obesity, and insulin resistance.

Study author, and co-author, Dr. Mark Pereira and Dr. Victor Fulgoni from University of Minnesota compared 100 percent juice drinkers to non-juice drinkers, using data from the CDC’s 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). They found that real fruit juice consumers had smaller waistlines, less insulin resistance, and lower body mass index (BMI).

Drinking 100 percent fruits juice was associated with a twenty-two percent reduction in obesity, and a fifteen percent lower risk of metabolic syndrome compared to those who did not consume real fruit juice. The survey included 14,000 respondents, age 19 and older.