A new study in the journal Nutrients [1] has found that preloading with fruit juice before eating an unhealthy meal reduces food consumption later in the day. Fruit juice also helped to control blood sugar levels when compared with drinking water, according to the new study by Robayo and colleagues.

Their results showed that 100% orange juice suppressed lunchtime food intake, cumulative food intake, and energy intake across the whole day compared with a sugar-sweetened orange soda. Additionally, glycaemic response was lower after 100% orange juice compared with the orange soda.

The researchers said, “Our findings emphasize the importance of considering the source of sugars when examining their influence on [fullness] and [food intake].” Unlike sodas and fruit drinks, 100% fruit juices never contain added sugars.

During the study, participants were given the drinks 60 minutes before a standardised lunch of pizza. They were then allowed to eat as much as they wanted. Each participant tested each type of drink in a crossover design.

The researchers found that participants regulated their lunchtime energy intake better after the 100% orange juice and water. However, drinking the orange soda resulted in higher lunch and cumulative food intakes compared with both the 100% orange juice and the water.

Additionally, glycaemic response – the balance and control of blood sugars – over 60 minutes was lower after 100% orange juice compared with the orange soda when corrected for grams of available carbohydrates. The researchers said this could be due to the high concentration of polyphenols in 100% orange juice which has been found in other studies to reduce glycaemic response.

Previous studies have found that drinks with added sugars are linked to weight gain due to increased calorie intake. Robayo and colleagues’ findings showed a larger difference in calorie intake when consuming 100% orange juice as a morning preload versus the sugar-sweetened orange soda.

They said: “Our findings contribute to a growing body of literature suggesting that consumption of 100% orange juice suppresses food intake and may protect against obesity risk in adults, and further highlights the importance of examining the independent effects of different sugar-containing beverages.”

Reference

1 Robayo S et al. (2024). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38257135/