Which type of fruit juice is healthier?

Many people choose fruit juice as a convenient way to supplement vitamins and fiber every day. But is fruit juice really good for health?

Nước ép trái cây tốt hay không tốt cho sức khỏe? - Ảnh 1. — Many people choose fruit juice as a convenient way to supplement vitamins and fiber every day - Photo: National Institute of Nutrition

Benefits of fruit for the body

According to information from MSc. Ngo Thi Ha Phuong (Nutrition Communication Education Center, National Institute of Nutrition), fruit is an indispensable food in daily meals.

Fruits provide vitamins, fiber and antioxidant activities. Vitamins in fruits include vitamin C which helps prevent infection, fight inflammation, fight aging, increase resistance or provitamin A (Beta-carotene) which brings many benefits for epithelial integrity, vision, growth and development.

Recommended daily fruit consumption is 240g for adults, 300g for children from 6 to 11 years old and about 240g for children from 3 to 5 years old (according to the reasonable nutrition pyramid for Vietnamese people, Institute of Nutrition).

It is recommended that fruits should be consumed in the form of segments and pieces (whole form) so that the body can fully access the source of fiber, vitamins and antioxidants.

What types of fruit juice are there?

Fruit juice can be divided into three forms: whole fruit, fresh fruit juice and industrial fruit juice.

Whole fruit (pieces, segments) means not blended, fresh fruit juice (can be squeezed or used in a blender) is ready to use and fruit juice is produced according to a technological chain, has a long shelf life.

In essence, all three of these forms contain the natural sugars in fruit, fructose (also known as fruit sugar), a simple monosaccharide that is absorbed directly into the blood during digestion, and natural glucose.

The sugar in fruit exists in two forms, fructose and glucose, as opposed to white sugar, also known as sucrose (although the structure of sucrose includes fructose and glucose).

Whole fruits contain sugars in the cell, which are not classified as free sugars; fruit juices (both fresh and industrially produced) contain sugars in the extracellular form (classified as free sugars).

However, the difference is that with industrial fruit juice (except for 100% pure), in addition to the available fruit sugars, other free sugars (usually cheap sucrose) are added to increase sweetness and preserve the product.

Adding whole fruit to the diet may reduce markers of systemic inflammation, blood pressure, and body mass, and when substituted, may improve markers of glycemic control.

Therefore, from a cardiometabolic health perspective, whole fruit can consistently and reliably improve markers of cardiometabolic health and is the foundation of a healthy diet.

Fruit juice is not recommended as a substitute for whole fruit.

How much fruit juice should I drink?

Research findings indicate that consumption of 100% fruit juice is associated with weight gain in children, especially young children. Furthermore, the lack of fiber in fruit juice compared to whole fruit may lead to decreased satiety and overconsumption of these beverages.

In children specifically, studies have shown that giving them fruit juice early on can lead to an increased risk of overweight and obesity due to their preference for sweets.

Nutritional advice in some countries around the world includes limiting fruit juice consumption to no more than 150ml per day (UK) or limiting fruit juice consumption to once a day with meals and always choosing unsweetened varieties (Ireland).

As you can see, what makes us wonder when comparing fruit juices today is largely related to the types of "sugar" in the fruit.

It is recommended to limit your consumption of fruit or vegetable juice and smoothies to a total of 150ml a day (one portion). This includes even unsweetened varieties.

Drink fruit juices and smoothies at mealtimes to reduce the impact on your teeth. Limit fruit juice consumption to prevent excess calories and weight gain.

It is important to remember that we consume food, not individual substances, so the form of food is very important.

Therefore, you should consume whole fruits, pieces and limit fruit juice consumption to no more than 150ml per day and limit the use of industrial fruit juices with added sugar.