Can you drink too much fruit juice?

Fruit juice is full of health-promoting vitamins, minerals, and naturally occurring plant compounds. Research shows that including it in the diet can help to keep the body in good health. But can you have too much of a good thing?

Some clinical trials find that daily fruit juice consumption benefits blood vessel health and may lower blood pressure at intakes of 250-500ml daily. Further research on this topic is ongoing. There’s also emerging evidence that fruit juice can benefit the brain, while other studies suggest associations with a reduced risk of stroke[1].

In terms of the individual nutrients in fruit juice, the EU and UK permit a health claim that potassium supports normal blood pressure. Bolstering this claim, a study in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences found that fruit juice’s positive impact on blood vessel health may be down to several natural compounds including potassium, vitamin C, nitrate, folate, and polyphenols[2].

Since a small daily glass of 100% juice is undoubtedly full of health-promoting substances and can contribute to fruit targets in countries such as the UK[3], how much is the right amount?

The recommended daily serving of fruit juice in several countries is 100-200ml daily and there are a few reasons for this. The point of official advice to eat 5 daily servings of fruit and vegetables is to ensure variety. Allowing for just one daily glass of juice leaves space for other plant foods which contain different nutrients and bioactives.

A second reason is that much of the fibre is removed from the fruit during the juicing process so it's important to eat whole fruits and vegetables too. As an example, there's around 1.2g of fibre in a whole orange but 0.2g in a glass of orange juice[4]. There would still be a long way to go to reach the 30g a day fibre target which is why we need a variety of plants in the diet.

A third reason is that the sugars in fruit juice are classed as 'free sugar' by health organisations, even though they only come from the fruits and are never added. It's important to keep overall sugar intakes within healthy limits but enjoying a small glass of fruit juice with meals can be part of this.

[1] Ruxton et al. (2020). https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/6/1815

[2] Zheng et al. (2017). https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/18/3/555

[3] NHS (2018). https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/5-a-day/5-a-day-what-counts/

[4] Department of Health (2013) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nutrient-analysis-of-fruit-and-vegetables