Less is more! Health benefits from just one small glass of fruit juice daily confirms new ‘super study’ meta-analysis

The researchers from the University of Naples and the Italian Society of Human Nutrition examined more than 16,700 scientific studies to seek evidence linking regular fruit juice consumption with health outcomes such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and obesity risk. The final analysis included 56 high-quality studies.

The results showed a clear link between drinking 100% fruit juice – the type that contains no added sugars – and reduced relative risk of stroke and cardiovascular events (e.g. heart attack). The strongest association was seen with daily intakes of around 150-200 ml which are consistent with health guidance in America and parts of Europe. However, current intakes in Europe are only 50 ml on average – equating to one-third of a serving.

The researchers also found no links whatsoever between drinking fruit juice and risks of obesity, weight gain, type 2 diabetes, poor blood sugars control or high cholesterol levels.

The authors proposed that the benefits of fruit juice could be due to potassium – a mineral which supports normal blood pressure – as well as polyphenols, such as hesperidin, which is found in citrus fruits and juices.

Lead author and medic, Dr Lanfranco D’Elia, wrote in the paper: “The results of our study show that low-to-moderate 100% fruit juice consumption is not associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and that actually it is associated with apparent benefit against the development of cardiovascular events.

“The positive changes in blood pressure and blood vessel function may help explain the effect of 100% fruit juice intake on risk of cardiovascular disease, particularly stroke risk. These findings are in keeping with the inverse association we see between fresh fruit consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease”.

 [1] D’Elia L. et al. (2020) https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00394-020-02426-7