Better overall diet quality seen in fruit juice consumers

2022-04-07
Better overall diet quality seen in fruit juice consumers
1 min read
The research focused on two large national diet and nutrition surveys in the UK and France to examine the diets of fruit juice consumers and non-consumers. Although total sugar and calorie intakes tended to be higher in fruit juice consumers, intakes of several nutrients including fibre, potassium, vitamin C and folate were higher than for non-consumers of fruit juice.
In addition, fruit juice consumers in both France and the UK had a lower average body mass index (BMI) than non-consumers. This has been seen in other studies, including from America, suggesting that drinking fruit juice is not a marker of obesity risk. Fruit juice consumers in the UK and France also ate more fruit and vegetables and were more likely to achieve the 5 a day recommendation.
Although this study can’t prove that fruit juice is driving the improved diet quality because it is observational, not experimental, it does suggest that fruit juice is a marker for healthier diets and does not appear to influence body mass index.
Reference
Dicklin et al. (2022) Fiber and Micronutrient Intakes Among Fruit Juice Consumers and Non-consumers in the United Kingdom and France: Modeling the Effects of Consumption of an Orange Pomace Juice Product. J Hum Nutr Diet. doi: 10.1111/jhn.12995.