UK study finds 100% juices as good for health as whole fruits and vegetables
Juices containing 100% fruit and vegetable can help to reduce the risk factors related to cancer and coronary heart disease, according to a UK study published in the International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition. This conclusion is the result of a study designed to question the traditional view that 100% juices or smoothies play a less significant role in reducing the risk of both cancer and cardiovascular disease than whole fruits and vegetables. The UK team of researchers who conducted the study found that juices were just as capable of reducing the risk of disease as whole fruit and vegetables. The researchers analysed a variety of studies that looked into risk reduction linked to the effects of both fibre and antioxidants. As a result, they determined that the positive impact fruits and vegetables offer come not from just the fibre but also from the antioxidants found in both juice and whole fruit and vegetables. The 2006 review of the literature states that: 'When considering cancer and coronary heart disease prevention, there is no evidence that pure fruit and vegetable juices are less beneficial than whole fruit and vegetables.' The researchers add that the positioning of juices as being nutritionally inferior to whole fruits and vegetables in relationship to chronic disease development is 'unjustified'. Therefore, policies which suggest otherwise about fruit and vegetable juices should be re-examined, say the researchers. The authors of the paper 'Can pure fruit and vegetable juices protect against cancer and cardiovascular disease, too? A review of the evidence' suggest that more studies in certain areas are needed to bolster their findings. 'Although this independent review of the literature is not designed to focus on any particular 100% juice, it does go a long way in demonstrating that fruit and vegetable juices do play an important role in reducing the risk of various diseases, especially cancer and cardiovascular heart disease,' said Sue Taylor, the Regional Director of the Juice Products Association, a non-profit organisation not associated with this research. She added that appropriate amounts of juices should be included in the diet of both children and adults, following guidelines established by leading health authorities. Ms Taylor also pointed to a large epidemiological study, published in the September 2006 issue of the Journal of Medicine, which found that consumption of a variety of 100% fruit and vegetable juices was associated with a reduced risk for Alzheimer's disease. The study found that individuals who drank three or more servings of fruit and vegetable juices per week had a 76% lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than those who drank juice less than once per week.
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United Kingdom