healthmedicinet

By
Thea Jourdan

Published:

19:53 EST, 19 May 2014

|
Updated:

19:53 EST, 19 May 2014

A glass of pure fruit juice is an easy way to get one of your five a day

A glass of pure fruit juice is an easy way to get one of your  five a day. The problem is that we’re overdoing it, say experts.

‘Everyone
drinks a lot more juice than in the past because it’s come down in
price and is pushed as a healthy alternative to fizzy drinks and
squash,’ says Mel Wakeman, senior lecturer in applied nutrition and
physiology at Birmingham City University.

‘In fact, 100 per cent
pure fruit juices and  fizzy drinks often contain similar amounts of
sugar.’ A can of cola can contain seven teaspoons of sugar – the same as
the equivalent amount of apple juice.

While fruit juice will have
nutrients you won’t find in cola, the concentrated natural sugars it
contains can raise your blood sugar quickly, just like fizzy drinks,
followed by a low that makes you crave sugar more.

Perhaps not
surprisingly, fruit juices and soft drinks have been linked to increased
risk of obesity. And these drinks can result in insulin resistance,
where the body effectively becomes unable to use sugar and which is a
precursor to type 2 diabetes.

A study by Imperial College London found having one sugary drink a day could increase the risk of type 2 diabetes by a fifth.

Children
are a particular concern. A government report published last week
revealed the under-tens typically exceed the recommended daily limit of
sugar by 34 per cent. Their main sources are fruit juice, soft drinks,
cereal bars, biscuits and cakes.

Dr Alison Tedstone, chief
nutritionist at Public Health England, which commissioned the report,
advises children and adults to cut their fruit juice intake.

‘The best drinks for school-aged children are water and low-fat milk,’ she says.

‘Fruit
juice can be included as one of your five portions of fruit and
vegetables per day. However, it should be drunk only once a day and
always with a meal because it can be high in sugar and can cause tooth
decay.’

But are all fruit juices equal? We talk to the experts so you can make the best choice?.?.?.

Grape juice is as sugary as four Krispy Kremes

All
fruit juices are high in calories because they contain concentrated
fructose, or fruit  sugar – one litre of orange juice contains around 15
medium-sized oranges.

Fruit juice is also low in fibre because the
fibre has been pulped or filtered out. For example, a large glass (250ml
serving) of orange juice contains 2.5 times the sugar, but one third of
the fibre of a typical orange.

But there are nutritional
differences between juices. Orange juice is an excellent source of
vitamin C, plus potassium, folate and thiamin, which are essential for
metabolism. Compared to other juices, orange juice is higher in protein,
vitamin A, B vitamins, calcium and iron.

But this has to be balanced
against its sugar content, as Felicity Lyons, of the British Dietetic
Association, explains: ‘Grape contains the most sugar – 50 per cent more
than apple juice, which is the next highest. Orange juice comes a close
third.’

One litre of orange juice contains around 15 medium-sized oranges

A small glass (150ml) of pure orange juice contains three
teaspoons of sugar; apple has four; and grape juice can have as many as
six.

Cranberry juice – which is very tart and is usually mixed with
apple juice – has four teaspoons of sugar. If it’s sweetened with grape
juice, it has eight. 

And this is a small glass – many people drink a
250ml glass, which, as Mail Online recently revealed, makes grape juice
as sugary as four Krispy?Kreme doughnuts.

Meanwhile, 100 per cent fruit smoothies may contain up to 30 per cent more sugar as the same volume of cola.

Juice with ‘bits’ is better for you

While
juice can contain many of the nutrients found in the whole fruit, it
counts as only one of your five a day because it contains very little
fibre and is high in sugar.

‘Fibre is essential to a healthy gut and
immune system,’ says Felicity Lyons. ‘Juices with bits in are better
than those  that have been filtered because they are parts of the
natural fibre.’ And cloudy juice is better than clear because it
contains more of the pulpy part of the fruit.

The added benefit of cloudy juice is that it has a far higher concentration of antioxidants.

‘Fruit skin is packed with this important chemical, which helps mop up damaging free radicals,’ says Felicity Lyons.

Don’t
assume that smoothies – made by pulping whole fruit – contain plenty of
fibre. They’ve been so pulverised during manufacturing that the fibre
content is similar to that of clear juice, allowing rapid absorption of
sugar.

Vegetable juice may be a healthier choice

Veg has the edge for fewer calories

Vegetable juice may be a
healthier choice. ‘They are lower in sugar than fruit, which means
freshly made vegetable juice is lower in calories than fruit juice,’
says Mel Wakeman.

Tomato juice is a good source of potassium and as
part of a Bloody Mary cocktail it can even count as one of your
five-a-day – which answers a question posed by Daily Mail columnist 
Richard Littlejohn. But maybe a Virgin Mary (without the alcohol) is
better!

Bottled and canned vegetable and tomato juices often contain high amounts of salt, which is bad news for high blood pressure.

‘Make
your own vegetable juice and drink it alongside your usual intake of
vegetables, not instead of them,’ says Felicity Lyons.

Concentrate isn’t always bad

Turning
juice into concentrate to transport it and then re-adding the water at
its destination has helped make juice affordable and widely available –
look for the label ‘made from concentrate’.

The nutrient content is not very different from fresh juice. However, it’s likely sugar and other preservatives have been added.

Most
commercially available fruit juice has been pasteurised – heat treated –
to reduce the bacteria count and increase shelf life.

A 2003 study
by scientists in Spain, published in the Journal of the Science of Food
and Agriculture, found that freshly squeezed orange juice is no
healthier than pasteurised – levels of antioxidants such as vitamin C
and betacarotene were the same.

However, Felicity Lyons says squeezing juice is best because it contains naturally occurring nutrients, rather than added ones.

Don’t be fooled  by ‘juice drinks’

Fruit
nectars and juice drinks contain a lower percentage of fruit – nectar
contains an average 25 to 50 per cent fruit juice while fruit drinks
typically have even less.

The rest is water and flavourings.

Nectars
and juice drinks contain additives, such as sugars and sweeteners and
added flavouring. They are usually cheaper than 100 per cent fruit
juices.

Fruit squashes may contain very little fruit or none at all.
The market for sugar-free fruit squash has increased dramatically as
parents see this as a healthier alternative than sugary squash. ‘The
higher juice versions with lower sugar is a happy compromise, but it
isn’t right to say squash is better than juice,’ says Mel Wakeman.
‘Water is best.’

Grapefruit juice interferes with statins, antihistamines, and some anti-cancer drugs

Grapefruit can  be dangerous

All fruit juices can interact with drugs, but grapefruit juice can be particularly problematic.

It
interferes with statins, antihistamines, anti-cancer drugs such as
etoposide, the beta-blockers atenolol, celiprolol and talinolol, and the
antibiotics ciprofloxacin, levo-floxacin and itraconazole.

Grapefruit
contains high quantities of naringin, a natural flavour, which causes
too much of certain drugs to be absorbed into the bloodstream. It knocks
out an enzyme in the gut that partially destroys medications.

The
good news is that eating grapefruit segments is thought to be safe –
it’s the concentration of the chemicals in the juice that’s responsible
for adverse reactions.

‘Every medicine that carries a risk of
interacting with fruit juice should carry a warning in the patient
information leaflet, but this just isn’t happening,’ says Munir
Pirmohamed, professor of pharmacology at the University of Liverpool
University and a specialist in adverse reactions.

Never brush teeth after drinking juice

Health
experts recommend drinking fruit juice with a meal because food will
help slow down the absorption of fruit sugars. This is particularly
important for people with type 2 diabetes.

‘Don’t drink pure fruit juice regularly,’ says Mel Wakeman. ‘Enjoy a small glass with a meal to balance out blood sugar levels

‘Dilute it with 50 per cent water or drink a glass of water alongside so you don’t quench your thirst with pure juice.

‘It can provide vitamins and minerals, but it is better to eat the whole fruit and get the nutrients that way.’

The
timing also matters for your teeth. ‘The high sugar content and acidity
of fruit juice can lead to dental decay,’ says Damien Walmsley,
professor of restorative dentistry at the University of Birmingham and
scientific adviser to the British Dental Association.

He warns that all fruit juices are acidic – not just lemon, lime or orange juice.

Drink
juice only with meals when the acid can be diluted. Wait at least 20
minutes before brushing your teeth as the sugar in the fruit juice
softens the enamel, making it more vulnerable to being worn away by
vigorous brushing.

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