Fruit juices are on a roll. A real trend that can be seen in the heart of town centers, where more and more outlets selling single or combined fruit juices are springing up. These stores capitalize on the benefits of fruit, consumers' perception of a good deed and the organic craze. But do their drinks offer as many benefits as eating whole fruit?
Cardiovascular disease is caused by multiple factors affecting heart function.
The main tips for preventing these health problems are to avoid alcohol and smoking, take regular exercise, relax and watch your diet. diet. The link between diet and cardiovascular disease is no longer a secret. If we are advised to eat five fruits and vegetables a day, it's because these plants have indispensable benefits. Rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fiber, they are precious allies for our health.
Whether it's weight management, heart, bone and blood vessel health or cancer prevention, fruit and vegetables are packed with benefits. To find out more about the health benefits of different foods, visit the blog of Docteur Bonne Bouffe. But are these benefits just as important when the fruit is squeezed to extract the juice?
While the extracted liquid retains most of the minerals, vitamins and antioxidants present in the base, all the solid elements, and therefore their benefits, disappear. What does this mean in practice? While these juices allow you to collect a lot of nutrients at once, making it easier to consume several fruits in an instant, the fibers are lost in the pressing process.
The problem is that these fibers are directly linked to antioxidants and other benefits. Depending on the press system used (hand or machine), the amount of fiber lost will vary, but could be as much as 90%. Some studies have also shown that fiber has a direct impact on heart health1, weight diabetes2 and cholesterol3. To increase the fiber content of juice, fruit pulp can be added. Here again, while the results are better than juice alone, they are not as interesting and beneficial as eating the whole fruit.
Many people therefore try to prefer fruit juices to whole fruit consumption, thinking that they can retain the benefits while trying to lose weight. These people may experience weight loss, but this is often the result of a caloric deficit linked to over-consumption of juice to the detriment of solid food, leading to micronutrient deficiencies.
While juices contain antioxidants, they won't provide all the proteins, fats and other elements that are also essential for good health. Worse still, if your fruit juice isn't homemade, it may contain six times more sugar than whole fruit. So think twice before choosing this type of consumption.
1: Diane E Threapleton et al, "Dietary fibre intake and risk of cardiovascular disease: systematic review and meta-analysis", November 2013.
2: Weickert MO., Pfeiffer AFH., "Impact of Dietary Fiber Consumption on Insulin Resistance and the Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes.", January 2018.
3: Brown L, Rosner B, Willett WW, Sacks FM, "Cholesterol-lowering effects of dietary fiber: a meta-analysis", January 1999.