Fruit juices: pay attention to portions. They are healthy but have little fiber and a lot of fructose

As often happens, what makes the difference is the amount.
A group of researchers performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of 42 studies to investigate whether frequent consumption of 100 percent fruit juice can favor a change in burden on adults and children.
The evidence available so far had yielded conflicting results from both observational and clinical studies.

Easier to overcome the quantities by drinking

From the survey, published on JAMA Pediatricsit turned out that one portion a day of one hundred percent fruit juice has been associated with a small weight gain although, it is worth specifying, it is an association and not a direct causal relationship, so further research will be needed.
“Drinking fruit makes it easier to overdose,” said co-author Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston. «A glass of orange juice consists of approximately three oranges which can be consumed in a couple of minutes. When do you ever get to eat three oranges one after the other?”

What does the juice contain?

Fruit is healthy, so what is the difference between the fruit and its juice?
«One hundred percent fruit juice is a food product obtained entirely from the pressing of whole fruit without the addition of preservatives and sugars according to European legislation», he explains Valentina Rossi, nutritional biologist and doctor in Environmental Toxicology, professor of Oncological Nutrition at the Milan Bicocca University. «Unlike whole fruit, which is a good source of dietary fiber, the transformation into juice reduces the amount of fiberso much so that it becomes mostly negligible from a nutritional point of view, while in general both contain good quantities of vitamins, bioflavonoids and other active substances antioxidant. It must, however, be considered that the content of these beneficial substances depends on the freshness of the juice and the quality of the fruits of origin, their degree of ripeness, the methods of harvesting and storage and the technological processes used for their production. A standard portion of fruit juice (200 ml, or an average glass) has a greater quantity of sugars than the total sugars contained in a portion of fresh fruit because they are more concentrated.”

Healthy limits

In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) includes the sugars naturally contained in the juice obtained from fruit in the category of «free sugars» (like honey and syrups, see the SPECIAL above, ed) and the Italian guidelines they consider the consumption of this product occasional, as it is not necessary to satisfy macro and micronutrient needs.
«There are times when it may be appropriate to drink a freshly squeezed juice or juice as in situations in which it is necessary to reduce the intake of fibre, for example in subjects suffering from intestinal inflammation or in cases where the intake of the whole fruit is difficult, or after aintense physical activity. In general, however, the WHO recommends reducing the intake of free sugars to values ​​lower than 10 percent of daily calories and evaluates a possible reduction to less than 5 percent, therefore to around 25 g”, he concludes the expert.

To give a practical indication, 3 teaspoons of honey or 3 tablespoons of jam or 2 ice lollies contain 25 g of sugar.